I've been thinking all week about an article I read in the Ensign (March 2010, pg. 42). One part particularly struck me, although this is not really what the article is about. The author says as a child she was a tom-boy and loved sports, but her mother would tell her, "It's great to love sports and play ball, dear. However, remember that every girl who grows up will become a woman, but it is most important that she also learn to become a lady." Then her mother would describe a lady to her.
As I was telling Doug about the article, he said, "Well, you know it's your responsibility to make sure our girls grow up to be ladies." Down dropped a 10-ton anvil onto my shoulders. I started to think about the characteristics that make up a lady. I had lots of ideas that immediately came to mind, as well as others I came up with as the week went on. To broaden my opinion, I did an informal survey at work to see what others thought a lady was.
Some of the funniest responses were, "She makes people open doors for her", and "A lady smells good". Some people were of the opinion that a lady has to be wealthy. Some thought that a lady has to be "prim and proper". I took these responses, as well as my own thoughts of what a lady is and came up with this description.
A lady is a woman who shows respect for herself by being well-groomed, dressing modestly, having good posture, and showing confidence. She has a classic, timeless style, and while not getting too caught up in trends, she has individual style and flair. She respects others by being empathetic and compassionate. She shows grace by being genuine and warm. Others immediately feel comfortable in her presence.
She is well-read and educated and speaks appropriately. She doesn't cuss or yell. However, she has a sense of humor and doesn't take herself too seriously. She uses her time to develop talents and gain knowledge as well as to serve others.
I realize that my girls will learn much of being a woman, wife, and mother from watching me and that is quite daunting. Therefore, I am going to do my best to become a better "lady".
How would you describe a lady?
As I was telling Doug about the article, he said, "Well, you know it's your responsibility to make sure our girls grow up to be ladies." Down dropped a 10-ton anvil onto my shoulders. I started to think about the characteristics that make up a lady. I had lots of ideas that immediately came to mind, as well as others I came up with as the week went on. To broaden my opinion, I did an informal survey at work to see what others thought a lady was.
Some of the funniest responses were, "She makes people open doors for her", and "A lady smells good". Some people were of the opinion that a lady has to be wealthy. Some thought that a lady has to be "prim and proper". I took these responses, as well as my own thoughts of what a lady is and came up with this description.
A lady is a woman who shows respect for herself by being well-groomed, dressing modestly, having good posture, and showing confidence. She has a classic, timeless style, and while not getting too caught up in trends, she has individual style and flair. She respects others by being empathetic and compassionate. She shows grace by being genuine and warm. Others immediately feel comfortable in her presence.
She is well-read and educated and speaks appropriately. She doesn't cuss or yell. However, she has a sense of humor and doesn't take herself too seriously. She uses her time to develop talents and gain knowledge as well as to serve others.
I realize that my girls will learn much of being a woman, wife, and mother from watching me and that is quite daunting. Therefore, I am going to do my best to become a better "lady".
How would you describe a lady?
One of my friends showed me an article about how to become a man. http://artofmanliness.com/about-2/
ReplyDeleteI really liked some of the ideas and found a girl's version of the same thing--
http://artofbeingalady.wordpress.com/
It think it's more for women than for those trying to raise women, but I still thought it was pretty interesting and... since no one had commented, I wanted to throw it out there.
I'm sure your girls will be fine. They have a wonderful example of a lady to look up to and learn from. That's really all they need.:)