The Mom's Conference and Life.....

See, I told you all that I am not the greatest writer. I am trying to keep you informed. The truth is, I lost my camera for about a week, and I just found it on Friday in my coat pocket, go figure. Well, last weekend, the family and I went to Lake Tawakoni State park just for some much needed family fun. It was great. We let the boys fish, and the daughter and I played cards together. We laughed a lot. I feel like she is starting to mature so much. She is so wanting to get out of her childish ways, and become the young woman that God has her to be. It is hard at this age she is. She feels very disconnected from others her age. This weekend I went to a Mom's conference. It was very good for me as a Mom of a Daughter. I purchased a book called 5 conversations that you must have with your Daughter. I am really finding more and more that parents today are just not in tune with what our daughter are needing from us. We are so interested in being their friend, that we loose sight of what they need. I am by no means saying that it is not ULTIMATELY important to spend time with your daughter...it is. Here are some of the points that I got from this conference about what teen girls wish their moms would do:

1. ....Be my Mom first, then my friend.. Based on Matt. 10:37.
2. ....Make Friends with your own reflection.
3. ....Try to understand how important my friends are to me.
4. ....Walk your talk and Talk your walk..Don't just show me that you are walking,
tell me what you are doing. How do I know you are a Christian?

Some Stats they gave us are as follows:

14% of young people having Sex are actually having Sex AT SCHOOL..yes, in the parking lot and in the bathrooms.

5% of those actually DESIRE to be a teen MOM WOW!!! They are trying to get pregnant.

46% of those who lost their Virginity felt like they were not ready.

24% Were still was having sex after they knew they had a STD, and they did not tell their new partner.

Mom's need to be careful how they react. If your 14 year old Daughter comes up to you and says, "Mom, will you buy me a Thong?" Don't freak out! Don't do what they call the Primal SCREAM! lol. Stay calm. They don't understand totally what we are thinking. It is not that they want to have Sex, they want to feel sexy..like all the girls they see in a fashion mags. How you react to questions like these, is how much she is going to think that you will love her when she makes a mistake..Scream to your friends, just not to your Daughter..She needs you to understand her.

70% of Girls that looked at Fashion Mags. became depressed and withdrawn. Fashion Mags. are a detriment to your daughters health..FOR REAL don't buy them. They talked to us about how in the 1940's there was not a lot of Mirrors for girls to focus on their looks all the time. Parents were sewing all the clothes, so there was not size tags in the back to see if you were size 0 or not. Girls at this time were more focused on if they were going to be a good mom in the future or not.

I also learned that you are 4 times more likely to get an STD, then to get Pregnant. They said if someone told young ladies that most STD's lye dormant, and you will not know if you have something until you try to conceive a baby in the future and can't. Would that make you think about who you were sleeping with? Most teens I know, want to have a baby when they get older and marry. Another scenario they gave us is to tell your teen, how would you feel if the man you love got down on his knee and was giving you the most beautiful diamond ever, however you have a life long STD, and you know have to tell this man the truth.
It is also good to tell your Daughters that your Dress might just make it difficult for a Christian guy to guard and protect his own heart from sin. Mom's should always be picky about their children's peer groups..based on 1 Corth. 15:33 "..Bad company corrupts good character." I am not saying we should not be salt and light, but make a list of who are weekday friends and who are weekend friends. This is all I have right now, but below are some great links for those wanting to strengthen your walk with your daughters. You can also subscribe to Vicki Courtney blog site they are starting a book club over this book on January 5Th..Awesome for us moms. You Must see this blog! http://virtuealert.blogspot.com/