Raising Girls: embracing help through Awaken

I grew up as the only daughter in a house with three brothers.

You know how you just assume certain things about your future?

I just figured that if I grew up and got married and had kids – they would be boys.

That’s not all I assumed, naturally.  But it’s part of how I pictured my adult life.

But – here I am – grown up, and out of my six children, only two of them are boys.

Even if you’re bad at math (raising my hand) you can see those numbers are way off.  My ratio is lopsided. 

Four daughters.

And I love it.  I love having daughters.  And sons.  I’m crazy grateful that I get the opportunity to raise some of both.

It’s a hard world out there to be a kid. That’s true. But some days it feels extra hard to be a high school or middle school aged girl.

You. Guys. 

If social media existed when I was in middle school and high school, I’m not certain I would have survived at all.  The near crippling temptation to compare, to count “likes” on a photo, the pressure to be thin, to measure up, to look magazine perfect, for your clothes to coordinate and your car to be cool and your eyebrows to be plucked and your haircut to be “on fleek” and your music to be just what’s popular and your slang to be up to par (which that phrase was not) and all the drama.

My word.

How do any of these beautiful girls make it out intact?

And I’ve been fortunate to be able to be in charge of four of these strong, fragile, beautiful, moody, brave human beings.

That’s tough work.

An impossible task to face without the aid and foundation of Jesus who gives me hope for their present and for their future when it seems like the world is saying it’s all so hopeless.

One thing I’m eternally grateful for are other good women. Other role models and sympathetic ears. Other moms and college students, youth leaders and counselors. Women, old and young, who can come alongside my daughters and whisper truth in their ears when my girls can’t seem to hear the truth I’m shouting over all the noise that my voice is competing with.

One of those gentle voices is hosting a girls event here locally called Awaken for Teens.

It’s a half day event on Saturday, August 31 and it’s open for girls aged 12 and up. The cost is very low – only $5.  It’s put together by an incredible group of women who form the Whole Fitness team.  These women have created a series of fitness classes (and more) that use the tool of fitness and good health as a gospel tool.  They’re really stellar humans. (One of their gang wrote a guest post here about the beauty of showing up.)

I’m exciting for my girls to have the opportunity to attend this workshop with their friends, to hear solid voices supporting them as beautiful creations of a Holy God. To be lead in worship through exercise and song and teaching. To be assured and encouraged in what has to be one of the wildest rides of any our lives – adolescence. 

You can sign up at this link and you can find out more details there too.

I’m so thankful God gave us a community where we don’t have to do this all alone.

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