Our yard looked like something out of those scenic magazines; trees covered in ice, snow covered porch, and a roof with icicles. I guess you don't really realize how MUCH we rely upon electricity. That's right, there's nothing like a good old fashioned power outage to make you realize that Thomas Edison's light bulb was sheer genius. Don't get me wrong I love the smell of lit Yankee candles but when your cold you wish you weren't smelling them, you wish your heat was on. Have you ever wished you were somewhere other than where you were/are? Yesterday I was wishing I was in Florida or a location that was equally warm. Now I do have to say that weather such as we've been experiencing lately has been good for several thing of which are 1. if you're home schooled you can claim a "snow day" 2. you can read A Tale of Two Cities and 3. (and the best) you can keep your fingers warm by constantly playing scales on your violin. Hmm... I think I've rambled on long enough, Bleak House and a Tale of Two Cities calls.
Elizabeth
You may have heard your parent's make the statement "You've just grown up too fast" whether you really did or your parents just feel that way, many young Americans are outwardly growing up too quickly.
Character immaturity appears to be on the rise, a seven year old throws a fit in Walmart because his mother won't buy him the toy he wants, an eleven year old loudly says "Why?" when her mother tells her that she can't have that new movie and parents bicker in a store about what their kid "does" or "doesn't" need. While the eleven year old girl might be whining through the movie section you would think this girl is older by the way she dresses.
The first time I got a pair of "heels" (an inch thick) I considered myself to be mature and thus warranted that I should probably, on occasion, sleep on sponge rollers so that my hair would appear curly. I always assumed that when I reached the golden age of thirteen that I would be basically and "adult." I was satisfied in my "heels" that "clacked" and my sponge rollers but girls today seem to be very different. I saw it in a magazine, a mom taking her six year old to get a pedicure and facial, excuse me? I thought the spa was a place for women. "This makes her feel so mature and she's even going to get her hair done" I am not against children being mature but a facial and the hair works seems to be a bit much for a six year old. While parents may be allowing their young girls to dress and look like a teenager in many cases their girls are not mature in actions or in character. I am very impressed these days if I see a younger girl who is courteous, kind, does some simple task well, and doesn't whine like a four year old when she doesn't get her way.
Clogging their pores with half a pound of make-up, flipping through the less-than-valuable Seventeen magazine, lathering on the nail polish and trying on the latest styles seem to be the most instructive exercises that girls today occupy their time with. While these girls may look mature the truth is they aren't. Meet Susie, by the time she's 12 she'll be a regular costumer at Old Navy and the workers at the manicure place in the mall will know Susie by name, sadly, Susie doesn't have much of a mature attitude in her personal life although she looks that way on the outside. Teen girls and tween girls today LOOK mature beyond their years but the truth is that when they reach twenty they won't have the attitude and the outlook of a twenty year old. What can be done? Encourage younger girls around you, help them see that being mature goes far beyond the clothes they wear and the make-up they apply. Curl your little sisters hair, she'll like the attention you give her and she'll want to "be like you" when she matures. Pray for the younger girls around you who may be influenced by you and your actions. Be a good example of what a mature young lady should be, show that if you are really going to be mature then you must act that way.
Many girls today are "dressing up" too quickly, could you help set a different pattern for them? Maturity isn't put on, it is grown over time. Sponge rollers are a thing of the past for me, my dress shoes do have heels that are a little bit over one inch, and I wear make-up but that hasn't happened over night. Lord willing one day I'll be twenty and on that day, although I won't have finished maturing in my character, I hope to be able to look back and say "It was worth it, not looking like I was sixteen when I was thirteen."
by E.A.J.
2009 is here, another year has gone by. Below is a video I found online, it is a good reminder for us in the coming year. God is in control and he knows what lies ahead. Happy 2009!
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