A Mother-Daughter Trip (Passport to Purity)

I often have an ache within that time with my children is slipping through my fingers like a kite string on its long ascent.  I can feel the friction of the string's momentum against my grasping hands.  It's vaguely painful, but the kite rising is glorious to watch, and truly there is no stopping it, so I might as well hold loosely and smile.

Hold loosely, but celebrate milestones.  Next month my daughter will be 13, and in our family, we mark this age by taking a trip using the Passport to Purity (P2P) curriculum, because here is what is important to us:

• That we set God's standard for purity before our children, giving them something to aspire to, while teaching them of grace and forgiveness
• That we open the doors of communication about awkward subjects like body fluids and sex
• That we begin to affirm who they are becoming and address character flaws before they become too ingrained
• That we show them they are worth the investment of time and money to take a trip together

My husband took my son on a long roadtrip to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio, stopping along the way to do projects from P2P.  Dave still refers to some of the object lessons from that trip in conversations with Noah.

Megan and I will be staying closer to home.  The destinations are a surprise to her, but I tried to think about going places she would love, so here is our itinerary:

Minneapolis:

Art and Architecture

Steeple People Consignment

June Clothing Consignment

Melting Pot for lunch

Walker Art Center

Red Wing:

Pratt-Tabor Bed and Breakfast

Lake City

Bike Ride on trail

Zumbro Falls

Horseback Riding at Karen Whitaker's

In between our activities, we will listen to the P2P CDs and complete the projects and conversations.  For some development of life skills, Megan will navigate and will help keep a budget sheet.

What I'm most excited about is giving her a series of letters written by women in her life who took the time to  write down what they see in Megan and how they are praying for her.  I think this will be a watershed moment in her life.  

Honestly, my sweet girl is a little nervous about this trip and so am I.  There will be some awkward moments as we listen to frank teachings, but I want her to hear this stuff from me.  Homeschooling has kept her pretty insulated so far.  It's time to open the doors with truth from God's word so that she can be discerning and hopefully avoid some of the regrets I carry.  

I'll let you know next week how it went.