Recently, a Facebook friend posted a link on her wall about young girls dancing in a contest and how they were, in essence, bumping & grinding their bodies in sexual motions. I read the commentary she posted as recorded here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine/13fob-wwln-t.html?_r=2&WT.mc_id=MG-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-MPA-061410-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

What are your thoughts? I immediately decided to have a talk with my oldest (who isn’t yet ten) on healthy sexuality.

For those of you who know me, you know that I speak openly and honestly with my children on many topics–from religion to history, from behavior to manipulation. I address sex, as well, and have since they could talk.

Driving to an errand on Saturday, I noticed a public service announcement billboard that posted this line: “Talk to Your Daughter About Pregnancy.”

Then, another friend posted Jay Leno speaking to citizens of our country asking questions regarding Independence Day. Only the grandfather (among a father, mother, and son who were interrogated previously) could answer questions like, From whom did we gain our independence? and What year did we do this?  I felt a deep concern that what we know is not being passed from one generation to the next. Think not only of knowledge or information, but think about life lessons; are we too busy listening to other voices–the TV, iPod, or whatever–to hear from the men and women who gave us life? (I used to be in heaven as a child to be able to listen in as the “adults” spoke of life and lessons. I learned who-knows-how-much information that affects me still.)

If we are not teaching our children about sex and history, about life and the consequences of our choices, then someone else will. Are you willing to take the gamble of them being taught by just anyone?

Will you open your mouth? Share what you know? Let them know you care? We can arm our children with knowledge–and after all, knowledge=power, right?

Who will?…I will.

Even though print was lacking, our heritage stories were not. I have talked, in a previous blog, about how the women in our family show love by cooking. We also have a heritage of strength that is passed down from generation to generation.

I loved that my Aunt Gwen and Aunt Ida would drive me down to the coast and show me where the plantation stood, where my ancestors ran the ferry, the road named after our family, where my great grandmother, after being widowed ran a store and my grandfather grew up on the second floor of the store. We went to the cemetery and read the grave markers of family members who served in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Even though the ones who fought were men, it was always taught to me that the women stayed home and took care of everything while the men were away. I knew that the women in our family were strong women, powerful in their ability to nurture, care for and love other people. I was taught that there was always enough to share with someone who had less; to care for others.

I learned the stories of our family history and I learned the lessons learned by the women in my family as they labored to be all that they can be. In fact, my Aunt Gwen went back and completed college after all of her children were grown.

This month is women’s history month. We empower ourselves and our daughters (and even our sons) as we teach them the stories of success from the women in our family. What stories of the women in your family can you share with your family members? We would love to hear them too!

We all have had at some point, the misconception that our earthly lives will go on forever. Some of us do not stop to think about writing down the experiences that we have had throughout our lives. We somehow fail to see the importance of passing down to our future generation our thoughts and experiences on important issues that might benefit our posterity.

Texting, e-mail, instant messaging, etc. are tools we all use today, and some of us would   be lost without them. However, these technological devices have almost taken away the need for a handwritten note, which is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Historians can return and track the history of the Civil War, or any other historical event and find an abundance of letters, books, notes, and personal diaries from which to draw. However, what will become of our generation say, 50 to 100 years from now? Will there be any records of our existence? Will our great- grandchildren be able to describe our lives and draw important facts that will benefit them, such as our health records, our talents, our weaknesses, and our strengths? How will they be able to have all this knowledge if we do not write our own personal diaries, letters, notes, and so forth?