As we walked down the hall, she bent over, looked my grandgirl in the eye and said, “Little ladies don’t do that.” My daughter-in-law is very intentionally raising a little lady and it’s a beautiful thing.
In a world where being a lady is almost a lost art and not a very revered role, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for moms to expose their little girls to what a real lady looks and acts like.
During an interview, Elisabeth Elliot said of her mother, “If I were to have asked my mother if she had to work hard to be reverent in the way she lived, I don’t think she would have had any idea of what I was talking about. It was so much nature in my mother–she knew what a lady was. My mother was a lady.”
There’s something gracious about a lady. She stands out without doing so on purpose. Her life speaks louder than her words and there’s a gentle humility that others are drawn to.
But being a lady doesn’t mean a woman can’t be strong. It doesn’t mean she can’t be athletic and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. In fact, one of the signature qualities of a lady is her strength. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually, as well.
The Bible gives a clear contrast between a what a lady truly is and what a lady is not.
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30
It’s not easy to teach our little girls how to be ladies when the world models something very different. But, as the mom, your influence is profound and relentless. She looks up to you and longs to fill your shoes.
Yesterday, Julie wrote a wonderful post called The Window of a Mother’s Influence where she shared about how important it is for us to recognize those season when we have an open window of influence in our children’s lives. And last week, I wrote a post called Because You’re Raising a Mini-Me in which I shared how children emulate their parents.
Today, I’d like to share some verses that speak to what biblical femininity really is and why it’s so important.
“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.” Proverbs 11:22 (NKJV)
- Use this verse teach them that beauty is only skin deep…that beauty doesn’t define a lady. Her character does.
- Use this verse to also teach the value of discretion and the need to be trustworthy and wise with our words.
“A gracious woman retains honor” Proverbs 11:16 (NKJV)
- You can use this verse to teach girls about graciousness and honor.
- Graciousness is well-mannered, kind, benevolent, thoughtful, polite.
- Honor is respect, admiration, to cherish and to adore.
- Ladies who behave graciously are ladies who are honored.
“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire” 1 Timothy 2:8 (ESV)
- You can use this verse to teach your little girls that ladies dress like ladies.
- Using terms like respectable apparel, modesty, self-control all point to a lady’s need to think about what she wears and how she conducts herself. Is what she is putting on modest? Ladies don’t need to get attention by dressing improperly, rather they will be honored when they exhibit self control.
- Not with braided hair/gold/pearls or costly attire…In other words…she doesn’t have to be a show off…she doesn’t have to be loud to stand out in a crowd or to display her worth. Beauty and wealth does not define her. Her character does.
Recently I was in the little girl’s section of a clothing store and I couldn’t help but notice how grown-up their little clothes looked. It is me or do some of the 3 T’s look hoochie?! No wonder they’re confused as to what modest looks like. They can’t even find it in the toddler’s section. That’s a personal rant! 🙂
We all know it’s difficult to raise little girls to be ladies in a world where it’s not popular to be one…but mom’s have the unique opportunity to teach their daughters with their own lives what a lady looks like in real life. And when your little girl isn’t acting like a little lady should, you can bend down and remind her, “Little ladies don’t do that.”
How about you? Are you raising your little girl to be a lady? What are some ways you teach her what a lady is and what a lady does? What are some words you use to describe what a lady is? Do you know someone you look to as a real lady?
We’re Linked Up At:
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
