"She's so active," the friend remarked."Should I look for some kind of sports equipment? She's not into dolls or dress-up, is she?""Oh, she's active," I replied, "but she would like the dress-up things. She's a girly girl."
Dear Reader: if you ever hear me say that again, please give me the following lecture.
"Wendy. She's a girly girl? Meaning what? That it's more girlish to 'dress up' in ribbons and bows than to 'dress out' in athletic gear and kick a ball around? Do you mean a real girl plays with dolls and tutus, but a girl who prefers to do archery or build something is less than a girl? Why do you equate femininity with frills and not with field hockey? Whatever a girl likes to do is 'girly.'"
Guilty as charged. Why do I have such a narrow view of femininity? By definition, whatever a girl's inclination, THAT is feminine.
Beauty can be frilly. But beauty is also competitive and strong. If you're a follower of Christ, you live on a battlefield, and you're a soldier. If you're like me, you need some practice associating femininity with the sword of the Word and the helmet of salvation, to borrow Paul's words from Ephesians.
When we fight for God's cause, we're not women acting like men. We're women acting like women. And we need every soldier in the fight.
Love your posts, Wendy. And, love that you work so diligently to raise your daughter to appreciate feminine strength.
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