To protect our precious daughters
I remember that when I was pregnant with my second child and as soon as we found out that we were going to have a daughter, my husband panicked a little bit. After a few days, he told me that he intends to start working out so that he can beat up all the guys who trouble his daughter. Well, it was endearing. That, as a father he was protective, and thought of his daughter as a jewel that no one could mess around with.
It also got me thinking if daughters are that different from sons and if they indeed should be protected to that extent. Being a woman myself, I don't view females as fragile or helpless. I do view them as vulnerable and longing for attachment and emotional bonding from the male species, which makes them susceptible to unwanted situations.
I think that it is possible that they are caught unawares when they deal with boys or men, and may not always know the right way to respond to any situation. But, I also think that like we teach our boys to be respectful of women, we also teach our girls to learn to deal with the world, instead of shielding and protecting them. Yes, there is an aspect about being a girl, which makes the heart fragile, and hurt more easily. If the heart was never broken, it would never grow or learn. Let our daughters learn.
Yet, there is more ...
In my opinion, girls tend to process things a lot more, and in that sense are a lot more mature than boys. It is possible that a girl doesn't know when she sends out wrong messages or flirts or acts in a teasing way around men. But, in all probability, she will soon figure out that it attracts attention, and it is then she who decides if she wants to continue down that road or change things. It is more complicated when girls default to attention-seeking behavior, irrespective of whether they like the person or not. It is just a default mechanism for some, because they view any kind of attention as positive.
I do not believe that girls are that naive or innocent. I think they play games, and sometimes, boys or men who tend to be more literal, fall for those games and take it further. If our daughters don't learn to take responsibility, they will not grow up to be everything God intended them to be.
God, please teach our children to see the truth and as parents give us the wisdom to respond to your truth.
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