SETTING STANDARDS

Last night I gave the Big Morality Talk to the girls in my 8th grade PSR class. They knew what was coming, of course, because we sent letters home prior to let parents know, etc. Still they walked in horrified, thinking it was going to be "like health class". (Apparently health class is not a popular elective.)

After a rough start, getting off topic and forgetting where I was going with a point, I settled in to a decent pitch. About setting standards for yourself in love and relationships and not lowering the bar just because you're the only one home without a date/boyfriend, etc. About knowing who you are--that you're a good girl, you make smart choices, etc. About believing you are worth waiting for and worth more than a hook-up.

And without intending to I told them what happened to me in December. How I told myself that living with someone was good enough. How I discovered over time that I was worth more, worth better than what I was getting. How when I challenged him to step up to the plate the man I loved more than I've ever loved anyone, the man whom (for the last six years) I was 100% convinced was THE ONE said "I don't want to suck it up." And finally how I was resetting my standards, re-raising my bar. That I rediscovered that I still am a good girl, and I'm worth waiting for.

I went into that lesson hoping to instill a bunch of 8th grade girls with some worth. And I came out of that lesson with a renewed sense of my own worth.

Thank you, God.