Overprotectiveness

My parents rarely let me attend school dances.  They were typical strict, overprotective parents.  Unfortunately, I was part of the leadership council of the anti-drug club that put on several dances as fundraisers.  Attendance at dances was mandatory for those on leadership.  I dreaded telling our club sponsor that I couldn't attend the dances.  She was a stern woman who rarely smiled.

I lied to her every time.  My relatives were coming to town, or I was attending a rehearsal for something.  I wondered if she would see through my lies, if she would reprimand me for not attending yet another dance.  But she always just nodded her head and let me go.

Image: Michael Elliott

Now that I am a mother, all I want to do is protect my children from the darkness of this world.  I don’t let them watch any violence or read about anything scary, even fictional monsters in children’s books (besides "friendly" monsters). I once turned on the TV and accidentally let my two-year old daughter watch part of a nature show featuring a crocodile snapping at some fish bait. When she had night wakings the following week, I just knew she was having nightmares about crocodiles.  I blamed myself.

It makes me sad that my parents' overprotectiveness drove me to lie.  I take responsibility for my lies, but I also hope that I can somehow protect my kids in a manner that doesn't put them in that type of situation.  If my parents had known I was lying, I think I would have just gotten into more trouble, and they wouldn't have understood why I felt so ashamed.  I hope that I will have the wisdom to balance my desire to protect my kids but also to be sensitive to their social needs and to trust God for their protection.

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