I read something online recently that caused my heart to hurt and my mind to ponder. After reading it, I thought about the teens and young women that I've interacted with over the years. There seems to be a common thread that flow among them. Many of them are crying out for help. Many are longing for the ear of their mothers to hear the heart's cry.
What does the heart of a daughter cry out for?
She's crying out for help. She's crying out because she feels as though she may be losing her way and don't know how to tell you. She's crying out for you to show her how to make the right choices. She's crying out to be taught what to do about the attention she craves from the opposite sex...She's literally crying. Crying about so many things; but the main thing is because she needs her mother.
I have two daughters, ages 22 and 13. I'm far from being perfect and knowing what it takes to be a mother to daughters. All I knew was that I needed to be there and still need to be there for my daughters. Since I'm not perfect, I decided early on that I would be honest with my daughters so that they don't repeat the same mistakes I did.
Sometimes my honesty resulted in laughter because my girls would say, "MOM you did that!" On the flip side, my times of honesty resulted in many tears. Those tears were healing for me as well as a visual learner for my girls to see how wrong choices can lead to pain.
I can't tell mothers what to do or not to do concerning daughters. All I can say is that many are crying. I implore mothers not to let their daughter's cry go unheard. If you don't answer her cry, some young man will. I pray that the young man is mature enough to not take advantage of the vulnerable young woman, but will encourage her to find her identity in Christ.
Here's the quote I read that my heart to hurt and caused my mind to ponder:
"One day a handsome young gentleman alighted from a train that was making a short stopover. As he paced the platform, he soon attracted the attention of a young girl. She watched him flirtatiously out of the corner of her eye, coughed a little, and laughed merrily and a bit loudly with a group of her acquaintances; but at first he paid no attention. this piqued her,... and she made more ardent efforts to attract his attention; for her companions were teasing her at her failure to "land her catch". Her power of attraction was being tested.
At last he noticed, turned, and came directly to her, while her foolish little heart was all in a flutter at her success. She meant to do no more than to chat with him a few moments, and by so doing satisfy her vanity as to her attractiveness, and clear herself of the charge of weakness the girls had teasingly made.
"My dear girl," he said, tipping his hat, "have a mother at home?"
"Why, yes," the girl stammered.
"Then go to her and tell her to keep you with her until you learn how you ought to behave in a public place," and saying this he turned and left her in confusion and shame. It was a hard rebuke; but this man had told her only what every pure-minded man and woman was thinking."
{from "Beautiful Girlhood" pg. 130-131}
