Speak Your Truth

We are living and parenting girls in a very interesting, empowering, and future changing time.  A lot is happening in our culture and in our world and women near and far are being given the platform and the ear to be heard, be fought for, and be believed.  Women near and far are boldly being encouraged to speak their truth.  

Of course the connotations of this movement are far deeper than what I want to discuss on this post, but the idea of speaking truth came up this week and it felt like a perfect tie in.

This child.  SHE IS AMAZING.  She is spicy, and beautiful.  She is smart and daring and bold.  She is unequivocally Evie, and Evie has no fear.  Evie does not fear outcomes, she doesn't fear feelings.  Evie does not shy away from speaking even when maybe not the most prudent to do so.  This girl Speaks.....boldly, and confidently.......and sometimes very loudly.

It's Christmas time, and we, of course, are now into the time of that jolly man in red, Santa.  Bob and I were not brought up with a deep belief in the magic of Santa. Christmas, for us, will always be about Jesus.  That said, we have allowed our girls to enjoy the magic of Santa.  When asked, "Mommy, is Santa real?"  our response has always been, "What do you think?"  and have let them draw their own conclusions.  They are smart....they don't need me to lie to them or demand they know the truth.    

I say again....my girls are smart.  They know, and yet our culture is awash with confusion.  As I said, I have let them wander a bit in this dicotomy.  I want my girls to think, I want them to enjoy the season, to embrace some magic, but I want them to know what they know and walk boldly in it.

So that is exactly what Evie did.

The principal called.........amidst story time in her class about a Turkey Santa, Evie stood up and boldly announced to the entire class that "Santa wasn't real, and Mom and Dad bring all the presents."

 In true Evie fashion, she didn't just stop at announcing her truth, but going to bat for it on the playground.  Yeah, she could have done things better, Yeah, she didn't need to do battle on the swings.

But....she's 4 and simply not afraid to speak her truth. 

It was an odd moment on the phone with the principal.  I really wanted to fall into a fit of giggles.  Of course she did,  and while her actions were not okay, her honesty was.   When you are 4 and you just want to be right, gentility is not your strength.  That's okay....one day it will be.

I won't lie, Evie came home from school and both Bob and I praised her for speaking truthfully. Teaching our little girl that speaking truthfully is ALWAYS the right thing to do, but that it must come from a voice of love is a big thing.  We talked about respect and kindness and that bearing the truth in love is what really matters.  That's what Jesus would do.  What a dynamite conversation to have with our little giant.

Its a simple thing, but learning to speak her truth now is something we are both incredibly proud of her for.  Jesus loves this little girl big time and His plans for her are big and beautiful.  Her boldness is her greatness. We will work tirelessly to give her the tools to communicate in a spirit of love and respect, but for now we are very proud of her for speaking up and speaking boldly.