Shannon’s SCW Blog

The Cute Prom Couple

It seems like yesterday that I was wiping Spaghettios off her face, yet last Friday I was already putting eye makeup on that same face, helping my daughter get ready for Prom.  Of course, her face looks very different now, but her big “brown M&M eyes” (which she got from her dad) still make my heart skip a beat.  I suspect they have the same effect on her boyfriend, Brian.

I wonder, “Where has the time gone?”  The days often seemed to pass so slowly (would naptime ever come?), yet the years have gone by so quickly.

We wanted to make the day super-special for the both of them.  They’ve been best of friends since junior high, and have been dating a few months now, and we simply couldn’t be happier about it.  All four of us parents put our heads together and devised a brilliant scheme.  They were instructed after Prom (via printed invitation) to drive to our lakeside lot at Hideaway Lake, where we had gone to great lengths to set up the perfect post-prom setting — a cushy love seat & ottomon, a portable fireplace, tiki torches, flowers, chocolate, and a caraffe of hot apple cider.  After a long, hectic week, they were able to just kick up their feet, stare at the stars, and chill out together.

As Brian’s mom and I were setting all of this up, I had a plethora of thoughts swirling through my head — how I didn’t get to go to my own prom because my date dumped me for his ex-girlfriend two days before, but how little that seemed to matter now… how I hadn’t gone to this much trouble to romance my own husband in a while, and that I needed to do that soon… how perhaps I could even get more mileage out of all of this ambience by bringing Greg back to this spot before we loaded it all up and took it back home in a few days.

But the most overwhelming thought was that it feels so FANTASTIC to be able to so wholeheartedly TRUST your daughter in such a setting and in such a relationship.  I always thought that when my daughter started dating, we’d feel compelled to watch over her like a hawk, perhaps keeping dad’s shotgun in plain sight for the boyfriend to see when he comes to pick her up.  Perhaps you know the feeling.

Fortunately, I can laugh at that thought now.  Why?  Because we’ve been SO intentional about instilling healthy sexual values since she was old enough to start asking questions (which was about 5 years old).  Brian’s parents have been just as intentional, and we thank them for that!  Abstinence until marriage has even become one of THEIR passions.  Erin just called, and she and Brian are out visiting Tyler area churches and schools, inviting them to come to the BEST SEX Youth Conference here in east Texas on May 2nd (where we’ll hopefully inspire many other teens to have the BEST sex.. by waiting until marriage!).

Dang, I’m so stinkin’ proud of the beauty they each radiate — both inside and out!  And I couldn’t be more proud of how they have conducted their relationship so far.  They’ve got the world by the tail, and their futures both look so very bright.

I hope that you’ll have the same confidence in your daughters and sons when they get ready to choose a dating or courtship partner.  Don’t wait until they are teens and try to have “the talk” (as if healthy sex education is a simple plumbing lesson you can give in 10 minutes or less).  Talk to them about healthy relationships during every stage of their development, and then you’ll be able to relax and ENJOY every stage — even the dating stage!

Wishing you much confidence in your children’s character,

Shannon

P.S.  If you’d like more information about “passing the baton” of healthy sexual values to your children, consider reading Chapter 16 in The Sexually Confident Wife, as well as the complete books Preparing Your Daughter for Every Woman’s Battle (which Erin helped me write, available at www.shannonethridge.com) and Preparing Your Son for Every Man’s Battle (available at www.fredstoeker.com).  They’re perfect for parents to read WITH their 8-12 year olds, which is certainly not too young to begin these conversations!

P.P.S.  Awesome photography by Erin & Brian’s friend, Cody Travis Maher.  You’re welcome to take a look at the rest of their prom pictures on Cody’s Facebook page!