Prom and Easter Sunday: A Mom's Perspective

Last night, Jason and I had the honor of photographing three of the most amazing and beautiful high school seniors before their prom.  These three young women are truly class acts, and as a mom of a little girl and also just as a woman, they are certainly a welcome encouragement to me in their maturity, compassion, joy, selflessness, dedication, purity and love.  And not only were we invited to photograph them, but we were also asked to join them for dinner (which is definitely a testament to their maturity... 'cause who wants their youth pastor and teacher to eat prom dinner with them?  Really.)  

Here are some of my favorites from the night:

After dinner, we made the trek to prom, where I covered bathroom duty for the last two hours of the event, ensuring (hopefully) that there was no fornication taking place in the lobby area outside of the bathrooms.  Pretty easy job.  I'm really intimidating looking, you know?  It actually was a relatively cushy job; I had a chair, the music was slightly muted as I was downstairs from the event, and when I saw my students, I could actually hear what they were saying without either party having to scream at the top of our lungs.

After bathroom duty, I made my way upstairs, and found that my perspective on prom has changed entirely in the few short months since I have become the mother of a future teenage girl.  I used to write off the scandalous dancing and risque attire as "just being a teenager."  Now, it means I will have a hard time ever allowing Betsy to attend high school, much less a high school prom!  And this is what they do under adult supervision!  I refuse to imagine what happens when they get back on the party bus and are on their own!  In all seriousness, it has caused me to pray with a new intensity for the soul of our daughter and wisdom for myself and Jason as we shepherd her heart and mind and prepare her to "shine like a light in a dark and depraved world."  His grace is enough, and that's what I'm banking on.

Moving on to today, Easter Sunday.  We shared lunch with our adopted family, the Davis's, and it was so wonderful!  Tom and Jane are spiritual giants; they have the most beautiful servant hearts, and they have loved on our family in an irreplaceable way for several years, but even more so since Betsy's birth!  If we ever had reason to question God's providence in our lives, they would be reason enough that we couldn't.  He always takes care of our needs in ways that we couldn't even imagine, and He has certainly blessed us with the love and support of that family.  It was so special to celebrate with them today.

Then, after a nice long nap, it was time for Betsy's first Easter Basket, and we all loved every minute of her excitement and happiness.

But alas, another holiday brings up another issue with me as a parent, and I would greatly appreciate some insight here.  I love giving Betsy gifts, and I'm sure we will enjoy it even more when she's actually old enough to appreciate them.  And I definitely desire to teach her about giving generously and joyfully.  But I also struggle, particularly with Christmas and Easter, with the idea that the holiday is all about the gifts.  Do we celebrate without the material things so that we clearly emphasize what should truly be the focus?  How do we balance those heart issues but avoid legalism and over-doing it?  It is a truly a deep struggle for me, and again, my prayer is for wisdom and clarity.

Happy Easter, all!