Elegance, grace, poise, and class...

"The only real elegance is in the mind;if you've got that, the rest really comes from it."-Diana Vreeland

Although I first and foremost desire my sweet little lady to love God and live her life in such a way that it illuminates this love, I also have other desires for my little lady. Let me preface this by saying that I by no means expect perfection. She is full of sin, just like us all. However, raising a girl in this world we live in has never been so challenging. With clothes that reveal too much skin, obnoxious behavior (ie-eye rolling ), and the seem for little need for decent manners anymore, I am reminded of how challenging it will be for Andrew and me to raise our little lady to ACT like and carry herself like a lady. But it leaves me with that struggle within my own self of "how do you have poise, elegance, and class without coming across as ostentatious or pretentious?" (Oh yeah...I'm pulling out the BIG words for this post...hahaha). How do you teach your daughter that she can still dress trendy, but still must keep "it" covered up?

I know that much of this is lead by example. I think this is why the older I get, the quieter I get. I realize that some of my outspoken behavior in the past wasn't necessarily someone just being a strong, independent woman. At work, occasionally someone likes to bring up a "funny" story about me. The funny thing is...it's not funny to me anymore. It's embarrassing to think of how I've handled certain situations in the past. And although others might still find it humorous or even give me a high five and say "way to stand up for yourself, Sarah", it has left me wondering if I have lived a life of a "lady". Have I carried myself with elegance, poise, and class?

The point in all this rambling is how when thinking of my desires for my daughter, I realize I've got to "shape up" some myself. I don't want to lose my "fun self", but I don't want to risk not exemplifying the type of lady that I want my little lady to become.

I mean, with a name like Ella Grace, she's got to have some grace and poise!

So when did ladies stop acting like ladies? When did it become okay to not know certain manners or dress with just a little class and modesty? And when did demonstrating these ideals give ladies the label of a snob?

It's going to be a tough job to train this little lady up in the way I think God had intended us all to be anyway. It is going to be hard to bring back these old values when we live in a world of thongs hanging out the top of your low-rise jeans and WAY too much cleavage showing.

But, I'm determined.

Dear Ella,

My sweet little lady. May the ways of the world not sway you from being elegant, graceful, and classy. You can be all those things and still be a FUN gal. You will be grateful one day that you stayed to true to your values!

Mommy