Strong Women
A while ago, Katie posted a lament about today's heroines. I'd like to link to it, but having spent 5 minutes looking and not finding, my lazy bone has cried "Enough!" Unless the kind, wonderful, witty Katie helps me out (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), you all will have to make do with my summary. Summary: Young women today lack heroines of substance.
Obviously, the original post got stuck in my craw. I want better than drunken heiresses and vulnerable pop stars. I've been keeping my eyes open for real heroines. This weekend, two very different women hit my radar again.
Carolina Kluft is a timely heroine. She's strong and graceful in competition. She appears to be both genuine and bright.
Mother Teresa is a timeless heroine. A book recently published reveals that she was deeply and spiritually lonely, yet she has done more than any contemporary person to ensure that others need never feel forgotten or alone. Would that we all could use our weakness to such meaningful ends.
UPDATE: Katie helped me out. She's good like that and I am grateful.
4 comments:
Ah, yes, that one's on the old blog! I can't even figure out how to link to it. Hmm.
Okay, just for you, I republished my Slightly Savage archives on Blogspot instead of my own website.
Here's that link: Link.
I agree totally Christy. We have told Gianna the story of the inspiration for her name (Saint Gianna Beretta Molla). I think it's important for us to seek out the good role models since the media bombards us with the not so good.
This is something my husband and think about all the time!
When all the fuss about Paris Hilton came out, I didn't know who she was, so I asked my girls. Their answer was scornful in the extreme: that she was famous and glamorous, but not thoughtful or compassionate; rich, but without a lick of sense. I don't like to indulge in bragging about my kids, but that answer just filled me with pride.
My husband and I got so worried about how Hollywood and Madison Avenue often seem to play a greater role in bringing up children than parents, that we started trying to show them good women role models at an early age. We also bought them The Children's Encylopedia of Women and read this out loud to them. I can hardly praise this enough: Mother Teresa is in there along with so many more. The only one they have failed to mention is my own favorite, Donaldina Cameron.
Carolina Kluft sounds like a great role model.
One book I heartily recommend on the subject of raising strong, thoughtful daughters is Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia, and another you might be interested in is Gutsy Girls, by two ladies with German surnames -- my lazy bug is active just now too, or I would google this and give you their names!
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