12.09.2008

Just Thinking: Flailing Arms and Dating

Song of Solomon Chapter 2 Verse 7

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.


The other night I came into Ella's room because she was crying. Her little arms seem to move constantly. This does not help her sleep. When I came in her little fists were hitting her face. She doesn't sleep well when this happens. Who would? I picked her up and comforted her. In seconds she was in dream land again. When I put her back in bed, I made sure that her arms were comfortable, but swaddled under a blanket. She has yet to have conscious control of her extremities so as her Father, I need to place boundaries around her to ensure she's healthy and well rested.

This made me think about the damage done in teenage years because of dating. The intensity of feeling is not in question, but the ability to wield newly discovered emotions, hormones, and yes newly developed bodies needs proper guidance. In the 9 school years of middle school ministry I've been apart of and my own experience as a teenager I've seen a lot of carnage. Hurt hearts, drama, and broken people searching for someone else to 'complete' them abound in the world of teenage dating.

As I type this, I realize how old I am!!! Seeing Ella wake herself up like that got me to thinking...

I don't have a plan or any deep thoughts about what to do to change things. I could talk about arranged marriage, prolonged adolescence, or how people are getting married later and later, but I have to go now. =) Just thinking...

1 comment:

The Hanique's said...

Food for thought. Thanks.

swidget