My youngest went off to church this morning in a new dress I bought her. She accessorized it in her own unique way and she looked smashing. A belted sweater over the top and her long, lean, tan legs out the bottom. Gorgeous. Fifteen minutes later she came rushing in the front door, disappeared into her room and came out in a skirt and top. When I questioned her, she explained the dress was too short then she hurried back out the door. Yes, the dress was several inches above her knees but was in no way immodest. Why did she need to feel so uncomfortable? She was the picture of a beautiful, talented, healthy woman-in-training. Why should she feel so bad about herself that she needed to cover up more? This got me thinking about the young women's theme she had just recited in those few minutes of church. I'm sure all you former YW remember it:
We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.
We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,
and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live
the Young Women values, which are:
Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability
Good Works
Integrity and
Virtue.
We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,
we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants,
receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation
If I could rewrite this it would go something like this:
I am a strong and intelligent woman. I will stand tall and proud as I make my way through this life and strive to develop the traits I value:
Faith in myself and my abilities
Knowledge of my worth and unique qualities
Ability to make my own choices and accept responsibility for the consequences
Give service to others because I believe it's the right and caring thing to do
I believe as I learn to cherish and develop these values I can better prepare myself to live a life that is happy and fulfilling while enriching the world in which I live.
What would you add to the YW theme?
Oh man, Zena. This breaks my heart and makes me angry.
ReplyDeleteI love your theme and would join your church.
I love your theme. I could repeat that. Often. In fact, I might just print it out and put it on my bathroom mirror. But i won't color it, or put dried flowers on it...
ReplyDeleteTell your daughter she is beautiful. Just one more time from me. No need to cover up.
Insideous. Lets teach women to be bumpkins and ashamed of their beauty. I have 3 daughters, all TBMs (where did I go wrong), and I always tell them to let their freak flag fly, mostly to no avail, got to be "worthy" females. Wouldn't it be great if the corp would encourage individualism.
ReplyDelete