Such a decision was made by several women this past weekend. They gave up precious time, and entered uncharted waters where, because of the proposed topic, there was bound to be some feeling of embarrassment for them, to educate their daughters about God’s amazing design for their bodies. You are probably wondering what I’m talking about. The event was a Blessing God’s Way Maidens by His Design Workshop. Periodically, Blessing God’s Way offers these amazing workshops to women and their young daughters as a safe place to come and discuss a woman’s monthly cycle, and what that means for her life. The beautiful thing about these workshops is that they present a positive God-honoring viewpoint, instead of bowing to a culture that either demonizes a woman’s body or makes it a god. In taking the time to attend this event, these mothers, and all the ones that have attended before, made an impact they may not yet realize.
They set a precedent.
They discussed the hard and sometimes embarrassing things with their young daughters. Embarrassing, not because they should be, but because in the culture in which these mothers were raised, these things were unspeakable. In so doing, and perhaps without knowing it, they said to their daughters, “You can talk to me about anything.” This opens doors for discussions later about heavier things, and builds a trust. Now that the daughter knows that she can trust her mother to provide her accurate and timely information, she won’t feel so drawn to other worrisome sources for that same information.
They perpetrated a worldview.
These workshops paint a positive picture of periods and puberty that is rare in our day and age. This positivity can carry over into childbearing, making this much maligned and potentially terrifying event into a celebration of new life. A point of view is often developed later, but dependent on memories and feelings from a time much earlier. The act of taking a positive role in developing this viewpoint in your daughters will pay dividends that are as of yet unimagined.
They built a relationship.
This is indeed similar to the precedent setting we talked about above, but with nuances that are too significant to be ignored. These lovely ladies and their daughters spent time together, learning about each other, and for some of them, something may have changed. The daughters may have come to see their moms in a new light as they listened to their stories. They may have come to realize that instead of invincible superheroes, they have vulnerable women for mothers. Why is that a good thing? Because now they can take a deep breath and realize it is ok to grow into a vulnerable woman. They can embrace the way they are created, and in so doing, welcome the beginnings of a different kind of relationship with their mother in which, as adults, they can begin to see her as a wise peer and unbeatable friend.
Can all this really be wrapped into one weekend adventure? If you would like to find out, visit the website at http://www.blessinggodsway.com/Blessing_Gods_Way/Welcome.html to find out dates for upcoming events and register to attend one or even buy the curriculum to have your own at home.
