A Model of Womanhood

Do you have dreams for your son? As mothers, we all have dreams of what our little boys will become. We imagine what their lives will look like as adults, who they may marry, what kind of fathers they will be. I dream of my son marrying the perfect woman. She will hang on his every word, laugh at all of his jokes, listen carefully when he shares his heart, comfort him when he is down. More than anything else, she will love God with all that she is. She will seek to serve her family in honor to her Savior. Not bad, huh?

As I was enjoying this daydream one morning, God woke me up with this truth: I, as Jack's mother, am the model of womanhood to my son. "WHAT?!", I said to God, "I'm just his mother". I'm here to tell him what to look for in a woman. I'm here to prepare him to be a good and father. How scary to think that I am his introduction to what women are all about!

When Jack is grown and starts to ponder marriage, he'll make a mental inventory of what he's looking for in a wife. I am that first woman against which womanhood is measured. Will he remember a mother who was tender and loving? A mom who made home a happy and peaceful place to be? Or will he, heaven forbid, have memories of a harsh woman who was too busy with her own life to make time for him?

My goal is not to get my son to marry someone just like me. The goal is to leave him with a favorable impression of women. God makes amazing, loving, courageous women in all shapes and sizes. We just want to be sure we place women in a positive light for our sons. We need to show our sons that we enjoy being women.

Boys need to see their moms as women who honor their husbands; nurture their children; and are at peace with themselves and God. I love being a wife and mother. I've got my hard days, no question, but overall I am very grateful for the privilege of these two titles. I want my son to value a woman who also loves family and all the craziness that goes with that.

So dream on, moms. But as you dream, make sure you are living in the reality of the important role you play. "Her children arise and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31:28.