Of course, that stung a little. But then I got to thinking... what's wrong with being sheltered?
What's wrong with being insulated from the bullying of unkind children, the unChristian ideas espoused within schools, from crime and drugs and alcohol?
The prince, after all, chased down Rapunzel, the beautiful girl in a tower - not the barmaid who worked at the tavern down the road from his castle.
Maybe that's not convincing enough. After all, I can't join in when my cousin chatters away about American Idol (the name itself is pretty terrible), or the latest troubles of Lindsay Lohan. I can't really say much when she talks about taking cosmetology classes and welding-shop at high school.
But I can cook a low fat and high Omega 3 meal for my father's heart problems. I know how to get out ring-around-the-collar. I can change a tire, know to plant spiky bushes around our corn garden to keep the deer from eating it, and have taught not one, but two children to read. I keep track of the bills, pickle the wild melon in our backyard, darn socks, and still manage to get my math work done. My skills, my focus, my everything is on loving and serving my family. For me, the alternative, that expectation to throw your daughters to the hardest realities of life, seems cold and cruel.
So yes - shelter me! Expose me to people who believe in kindness, grace and hard work, so I would expect nothing less from people and nothing less from myself. My cousin can have her cosmetology classes... and I'll just stay right here, enjoying homemade pickles, next to a warm fireplace, typing away on my laptop.
Hello. It looks like I am your first commenter on your new blog, which I found via the LAF site.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I think more young women need to read this article. You make a very good point about being sheltered as more of a positive quality than a negative one. It's obvious that you have learned some practical skills just from being "sheltered" at home. :)
I am a full-time homemaker and most of my time is spent at home. Of course, people would think that I am "sheltered," but for me, it's a "sheltered oasis" because I don't have to be constantly bombarded with the negativeness of "worldliness." I enjoy focusing my energies on taking care of my home and husband. If that makes me "sheltered," so be it.
Well young maiden, I just thought I would send you this kind reply so you can know that someone read something from your lovely new blog. :) Take care.
~Mrs. Lady Sofia~