Some thoughts on GIRLS
I sometimes have to chuckle a bit that I am a mom to THREE girls! I feel like one of the reasons I was sent these beauties is to give ME some more femininity. I have never really considered myself to be much of a girly girl. I love sports. Spent most of my life playing anything and everything. And truth be told, I love me some Sports Center. Yep, I seriously love to sit on the couch and watch football or basketball with Chris, college is always my preference (seems there is still some love for the game at this level instead of just playing for a RIDICULOUS paycheck). I never learned to sew. Don't have any desire to. Hate anything that is high maintenance. Or frilly. You won't find an ounce of pink in my closet -- though there is inevitably some in my kids' closets!
I think as I have "grown up" I have definitely found hobbies and interests that are more feminine. I love to cook. I love to TALK. I love clothes and shopping. I love to decorate and beautify any space I'm in. I love flowers. But always underneath all of that, I crave wearing sweats and watching a good game with a coke!
So, I do have to laugh at my life now with these little girls. Could we get any more estrogen in this house?! But I want to teach them the beauty and privilege of being a female. I want to nurture in them those talents and qualities that I love most about the women in my life. I want to instill in them a sense of confidence about what it means to be a daughter of God and how blessed we are to have that experience. I look forward and see many days ahead of shopping and laughing and talking and bonding -- you know mother-daughter, GIRL stuff. I envision tu-tu's and dance recitals and the endless amounts of HAIR I will be fixing (story of my life, I tell ya)!
But in saying that, I also see many days ahead of going to games to watch my little sportsters shoot hoops or spike a ball. I hope they will find a love for the less GIRLY things too. And if I'm being completely honest, I think I won't be able to help but influence the less girly things in their lives! I don't love perfect hair or huge bows (seriously, have you seen those babies with the ridiculous gardens on their little heads to the point you can't even see the kid that is under there?!). I don't love matchy, frilly, fluffy outfits. I don't love a kid who can't go outside and run around with bare feet or get lots of dirt under their fingernails. I think that side of me will naturally rub off on my kids. And their dad will have a lot to do with that too! Who says a dad can't teach his girls to play sports just as well as he can teach his boys?!
So, as with all things in life, I am learning balance. The balance I want for my girls to be beautifully feminine, embracing the blessing of coming to the earth as a female without being high maintenance or over the top girly. I want them to be strong and yet selfless and kind. I want them to be confident yet humble and meek. I want them to explore and find their talents in MANY areas of life. I guess they will be who they want to be and I'm fine with that! But I will always hope that they have a draw towards running and jumping and passing and kicking and bouncing and spiking! And if they want to do all of that with a bow (albeit a small one) in their hair -- well, that would be just fine with me! But the longer I can put off the gallons of hair spray and fingernail polish and make-up and tears and tissues that will be pouring in and out of our house, that is also just fine with me!
And I will continue to be grateful for the ways in which my girls have rubbed off on me and given me a greater desire to nurture my feminine side a little more! Can't help but experience a bit of that with THREE girls!
I think as I have "grown up" I have definitely found hobbies and interests that are more feminine. I love to cook. I love to TALK. I love clothes and shopping. I love to decorate and beautify any space I'm in. I love flowers. But always underneath all of that, I crave wearing sweats and watching a good game with a coke!
So, I do have to laugh at my life now with these little girls. Could we get any more estrogen in this house?! But I want to teach them the beauty and privilege of being a female. I want to nurture in them those talents and qualities that I love most about the women in my life. I want to instill in them a sense of confidence about what it means to be a daughter of God and how blessed we are to have that experience. I look forward and see many days ahead of shopping and laughing and talking and bonding -- you know mother-daughter, GIRL stuff. I envision tu-tu's and dance recitals and the endless amounts of HAIR I will be fixing (story of my life, I tell ya)!
But in saying that, I also see many days ahead of going to games to watch my little sportsters shoot hoops or spike a ball. I hope they will find a love for the less GIRLY things too. And if I'm being completely honest, I think I won't be able to help but influence the less girly things in their lives! I don't love perfect hair or huge bows (seriously, have you seen those babies with the ridiculous gardens on their little heads to the point you can't even see the kid that is under there?!). I don't love matchy, frilly, fluffy outfits. I don't love a kid who can't go outside and run around with bare feet or get lots of dirt under their fingernails. I think that side of me will naturally rub off on my kids. And their dad will have a lot to do with that too! Who says a dad can't teach his girls to play sports just as well as he can teach his boys?!
So, as with all things in life, I am learning balance. The balance I want for my girls to be beautifully feminine, embracing the blessing of coming to the earth as a female without being high maintenance or over the top girly. I want them to be strong and yet selfless and kind. I want them to be confident yet humble and meek. I want them to explore and find their talents in MANY areas of life. I guess they will be who they want to be and I'm fine with that! But I will always hope that they have a draw towards running and jumping and passing and kicking and bouncing and spiking! And if they want to do all of that with a bow (albeit a small one) in their hair -- well, that would be just fine with me! But the longer I can put off the gallons of hair spray and fingernail polish and make-up and tears and tissues that will be pouring in and out of our house, that is also just fine with me!
And I will continue to be grateful for the ways in which my girls have rubbed off on me and given me a greater desire to nurture my feminine side a little more! Can't help but experience a bit of that with THREE girls!
posted by Chris Grover at 8:15 AM
4 Comments:
I love this view. I am so glad I have Savannah for the girl in me with all the boys in the house. HOWEVER- we aren't girly girls. We definitely have our girl time. We go shopping and paint our nails. But there are No HUGE bows in our house either. She has never liked that . She did dance for one year and hated it- She LOVES sports. She is an amazing runner and in competition soccer now and LOVES it. She keeps her brothers on her toes and I love it.
I often wonder why I am the father to 3 girls. Maybe I need to learn to appreciate dance recitals instead of sports. I also hate the Huge flowers and bows in little girls heads. The bows are bigger than the head sometimes.
Well you definately have a "balancing act" in store with those 3 little pumpkins. It appears that each has their very own and unique personalities which will make for interesting years ahead. Oh , love those girls!!
Loved this post and can totally relate.
As someone who is in the same boat as you, I think that being a Mom to three girls has opened my eyes in so many ways. I see the world differently now. Especially how women are treated and viewed in this world. So much emphasis is put on a woman's appearance instead of her inner beauty. Too often, women are degraded, objectified, put down and treated as 2nd class citizens. While I love my girls to be dressed cute with hair bows and flowers (I do love bows in their hair, but try to keep them smaller than their head), I also know it's important to keep a balance. I emphasize the importance of school and education to them. I try to teach them to be honest and good citizens. It has also strengthened my resolve to be a strong (and modest) example of womanhood. Women have so much influence (for good and bad) in this world and I hope that I can be an example to my girls for good. I once heard Sister Thompson of the General RS Presidency say, "If Satan can get the women, then he has surely won, hasn't he?"
Keep up the good work, girl. You're a terrific Mom!
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