Girl Talk

Last Sunday night, Becca and I had The Talk. Well, the precursor anyway. We talked about the "girl stuff", and she blushed her way through our dinner at Applebee's- a place I chose specifically because it's generally too noisy to hear yourself think, making it the perfect place for a touchy conversation with a preteen. We giggled through my stories of 6th grade mortification, like the time my mom had my hair cut short and someone asked if I was a boy, and she was sympathetic to the crush I had on the 8th grade captain of the football team, which finally prompted me to do something about my boy-looks (although he never did acknowledge my existence). She shared the silly (and not-so-silly) things her friends say and do, reinforcing the fact that I have to keep the doors of communication swinging freely between us if I don't want silly girls to form the basis of my daughter's knowledge of womanhood.

We took a quick jaunt into Kohls' (after all, what mother-daughter outing would be complete without a shopping trip?) and then we went to see a chick-flick at the theater, One Night With the King. It's the story of Esther from the Bible (more or less) and we both enjoyed it a lot. When we returned home, I asked her to rinse the dishes before bedtime. I returned to find her at the sink with a purple flannel sheet draped around her head... just like Esther. She's still only eleven.

Rebecca, as you negotiate the sometimes difficult road to becoming a woman, my prayer is that you will always remember that like Esther, you too are Royalty, the daughter of a King of unlimited power and unfailing love.

He has a very special purpose for your life.

I love you,

Mom