If you are a male and reading this post, you might want to click away now. Are you still here? Okay, you've been warned... :)
The Three B's.... That's what we call it at the Fitchie house. These three words have often struck fear in the hearts of my girls over the years of raising the four of them. Why, you ask? Wellllllllllll......... When those words are uttered from Momma, that usually means a very swift overhaul of a thoughtfully constructed outfit donned for that day. Now, here's the part of this post that made me want to warn the men to LEAVE. :) The Three B's stands for.... Bellies, Boobs and Butt-Cracks. See? Told you.
I know it's crass, but it has been one of the most effective tools in my parenting arsenal. As my children have grown and continue to grow into beautiful young ladies, these are three areas that are off-limits outside the confines of our household and sometimes within our household depending upon guests. Shirts must generously cover the first two areas and proper bottoms should cover the final zone with a lengthy margin for error. I have raised to two teenage girls with this rule and have two more girls entering these adolescent years. *shudder*
Now, even though I have wonderful girls who are respectful and law-abiding citizens, there have been a couple of them who often expressed an exasperated sigh or even an attitude of.... an unrepentant heart, shall we say? However, their daddy and I hold very firmly to this law and it goes without saying in our home that their clothing had better follow the standard or it will be changed, either by them or by us. And let's face it.... They'd rather they do the changing because Daddy just doesn't seem to grasp the whole "coordinating and accessorizing" thang. Momma isn't much help because she is color-blind in one eye and rarely wears more than one color at a time and will usually only change clothes because of a spill or a "feeling like a two-ton Tessie" kind of day. It would seriously jeopardize their standing at school or church if they came in wearing clashing colors or styles. Tsk, tsk.
So, if a change is necessary, you will often see a flying streak of hair and accessories as the return to the closet has a "Superman-in-the-phone-booth" kind of feel to it.
Thinking about this, I have often wished I could alter my feelings in the same way. I am a woman who is too often ruled by her emotions / feelings. This issue has landed me in more troublesome situations than I care to recall. My problem area is a bit higher than The Three B's and it's a bit difficult to cover at times because I sort of need for... Oh.... I don't know... Eating and drinking and maybe breathing. A memory of Scripture jumped out at me when I was thinking about this the other day and I was struck by the simplicity of the answer to my dilemma.....
"So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ." - Galatians 3:26-27
"Clothed with Christ"..... What a delightful thought.... I can put on the garments worn by my dear Savior. I don't have to choose the wardrobe of fear, anger and worry so often shown by this natural world in which we live, but I can simply choose the clothes of Christ, defined by peace, gentleness and self-confidence. He's my identity, not my feelings. Thankfully, for this color-blind-in-one-eye girl, His wardrobe will never clash and I'll never be inappropriately dressed no matter the situation because my Savior will constantly keep me in a "wash white and wear bright" state every morning as I spend time with Him and remove any wardrobe layers that aren't pleasing to Him. (Rev. 7:14) What a marvelous relief to this color-blind gal.... ;)
The Three B's.... That's what we call it at the Fitchie house. These three words have often struck fear in the hearts of my girls over the years of raising the four of them. Why, you ask? Wellllllllllll......... When those words are uttered from Momma, that usually means a very swift overhaul of a thoughtfully constructed outfit donned for that day. Now, here's the part of this post that made me want to warn the men to LEAVE. :) The Three B's stands for.... Bellies, Boobs and Butt-Cracks. See? Told you.
I know it's crass, but it has been one of the most effective tools in my parenting arsenal. As my children have grown and continue to grow into beautiful young ladies, these are three areas that are off-limits outside the confines of our household and sometimes within our household depending upon guests. Shirts must generously cover the first two areas and proper bottoms should cover the final zone with a lengthy margin for error. I have raised to two teenage girls with this rule and have two more girls entering these adolescent years. *shudder*
Now, even though I have wonderful girls who are respectful and law-abiding citizens, there have been a couple of them who often expressed an exasperated sigh or even an attitude of.... an unrepentant heart, shall we say? However, their daddy and I hold very firmly to this law and it goes without saying in our home that their clothing had better follow the standard or it will be changed, either by them or by us. And let's face it.... They'd rather they do the changing because Daddy just doesn't seem to grasp the whole "coordinating and accessorizing" thang. Momma isn't much help because she is color-blind in one eye and rarely wears more than one color at a time and will usually only change clothes because of a spill or a "feeling like a two-ton Tessie" kind of day. It would seriously jeopardize their standing at school or church if they came in wearing clashing colors or styles. Tsk, tsk.
So, if a change is necessary, you will often see a flying streak of hair and accessories as the return to the closet has a "Superman-in-the-phone-booth" kind of feel to it.
Thinking about this, I have often wished I could alter my feelings in the same way. I am a woman who is too often ruled by her emotions / feelings. This issue has landed me in more troublesome situations than I care to recall. My problem area is a bit higher than The Three B's and it's a bit difficult to cover at times because I sort of need for... Oh.... I don't know... Eating and drinking and maybe breathing. A memory of Scripture jumped out at me when I was thinking about this the other day and I was struck by the simplicity of the answer to my dilemma.....
"So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ." - Galatians 3:26-27
"Clothed with Christ"..... What a delightful thought.... I can put on the garments worn by my dear Savior. I don't have to choose the wardrobe of fear, anger and worry so often shown by this natural world in which we live, but I can simply choose the clothes of Christ, defined by peace, gentleness and self-confidence. He's my identity, not my feelings. Thankfully, for this color-blind-in-one-eye girl, His wardrobe will never clash and I'll never be inappropriately dressed no matter the situation because my Savior will constantly keep me in a "wash white and wear bright" state every morning as I spend time with Him and remove any wardrobe layers that aren't pleasing to Him. (Rev. 7:14) What a marvelous relief to this color-blind gal.... ;)