This morning I interviewed Robin Marsh, co-anchor on Oklahoma City's KWTV-News9, and co-author of the new book, God, Girls, and Getting Connected: Spiritual Apps for a Teen's Life. It was quite a show. When you get a chance, take a listen.
Not too long after that, I got a call from a friend who wanted to discuss a "dating" issue regarding her pre-teen daughter. Oh - and yesterday, I had a lengthy conversation with another friend of mine about girls and how their image of self is becoming more and more at risk.
See a pattern here?
Well, I certainly do, and it's causing my already bubbling passion for the welfare of women and girls to go up another notch. I know quite a few moms out there who have girls in or entering their teen years, and the face of their relationships with one another is changing in ways that they sometimes don't particularly like.
Some of us are very squeamish about talking to our daughters about sex, body image, dating, and relationships. But then there are some (like me) who actually relish the opportunity to have a "real talk" session with their daughters about these subjects. The daughters, on the other hand, tend to run the gamut of a different scale: "I don't dare tell my mom about the boy I'm interested in!" to "Geesh, Mom! TMI!" to "Mom, I think it's cool how you let me express myself when we have our little talks."
Hey, I get it. No matter what your personal style of mothering is, it's not easy guiding your daughter toward womanhood. You constantly wonder, "Am I doing the right thing?" "Am I being too easy/too hard on her?" "Is she really being totally honest with me?" I'm sure our mothers had some of these same concerns.
But one thing I believe about this unique connection between mothers and daughters is this: Unconditional love has to be the foundation of the relationship. If we keep an open mind and open heart toward God and our daughters, we're sure to make it through all the fabulous phases of womanhood just fine.
Now. Can anybody out there mentor me through menopause???
Just sayin'...
