I was trying on some clothes when I overheard a woman say to a child in the next room who sounded about 5 years old, “Isn’t this sexy? Won’t I get everyone’s attention?”
I was so sad. What message had she given to this little girl? Be sexy to get attention. Value sexiness and being the center of attention.
I thought of the conversation Larry and I had had just that morning. One of the men in his men’s group has the most darling and vivacious 5-year-old you’d ever want to meet. She is just incredibly bubbly and of course gets lots of attention.
Larry mentioned that this little girl had already learned the strategy of getting her needs met by being the center of attention. Is there anything wrong with a little girl’s vivaciousness and being the center of attention? No, of course not, but Larry encouraged this father to help the daughter over time realize that her value isn’t in being delightful but in being a child of God.
That’s most likely a little bit of a deep concept for the little girl to totally understand, but far better than hearing that being sexy is the way to get attention.
If you are a parent or grandparent, begin early to communicate the value of being a child of God, not just what the world says is valuable.