Learning Honor And Respect

When I was a little girl my mother always said that she had eyes in the back of her head.
For the longest time I really believed her.
She seemed to always know when I was doing something I should not have been doing.
I wanted to separate her hair in the back and see if she really had a second set of eyes.

When I became a mother myself I began to understand.
I did not have a second set of eyes in the back of my head.
Rather, I had a very alert set of mother eyes.
Mother eyes are different from any other kind of eyes.

Mother eyes can spot danger from a mile away.
Mother eyes can see when a child misbehaves.
Mother eyes have incredible peripheral vision.
Mother eyes are able to pick up the smallest detail.

Mother eyes are able to see a swing that is out of control.
Mother eyes are able to see another child on a bike a block away.
Mother eyes are able to see the little hand reaching up to grab a cookie before dinner.
Mother eyes are able to discern the slightest mood change.

Mother eyes can see into a child’s heart.
Mother eyes can detect sadness even though, I’m fine, is spoken over and over.
Mother eyes can discern sickness in a child before it is official.
Mother eyes are the window into her heart.

I was behind the two of them as they were leaving the store.
We were approaching the automatic doors.
I was behind the mother who was pushing a shopping cart that was filled to capacity.
A little boy was walking ahead of her.

I opened the door, he exclaimed as the automatic doors opened before him.
You sure did; good job, buddy! The mom said excitedly.
I smiled as I played back a similar scene in my mind with my own sons.
The little boy continued to walk ahead of her.

He was so excited to go out in the fresh air.
He started to skip and hop out the door.
The parking lot was just a few feet away.
A car would not see him if he darted out.

I thought I would hear his mother shouting directions at him.
I thought that her mother voice would be stern as she called him back towards her.
To my pleasant surprise, neither of my expectations actually happened.
Instead, the mother gave her son a brilliant response.

Come back, buddy, she said in a louder voice, though it was still tender.
Who is going to protect me from all the cars in the parking lot? She asked him.
The little boy turned around and walked back to his mother.
He grabbed her hand while her other hand continued to push the shopping cart.

I got you, Mommy! You’re OK!
The two walked out into the parking lot hand in hand.
I admired her calm demeanor.
There is a time and a place for loud voices, but this was much more effective.

Her mother eyes saw the possible danger if her son ran into the parking lot.
He was far enough away that she could direct him calmly.
He learned to be a protector.
He learned a bit a chivalry in the process.

I am capable of opening a door myself, yet I taught my sons to open it for me.
I would not point to the door and demand that they open it.
I would simply stand back a bit and wait until they opened it and held it for me.
They learned that it was a gentlemanly thing to do for a woman.

Those gentlemanly acts of kindness have carried over into their adult lives.
They still open doors for me and their sisters.
I have watched them open doors for other women as well.
Opening doors is something unexpected in our culture but still appreciated.

The mother taught her son a sweet lesson that day.
Without shouting a warning, she turned the situation around.
She taught his little preschool heart what it means to be a gentleman.
I wanted to say something to encourage her but left the moment alone.

It was between them.
It was a mother-son moment.
Learning to be a protector of women is a good thing.
Treating women with kindness and respect is something God expects of men.

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (1 Timothy 5:2)

The mother was teaching her son how to treat his mother.
That lesson will carry over to other women as well.
He will learn to value a woman and protect her honor.
That kind of lesson starts very young.

Instead of shouting at her son, this mother gently taught her son.
In a calm way, she set a tone.
His little preschool heart was learning to protect and honor women.
That is a valuable lesson in a world that objectifies women.

Who is going to protect me? The mother asked her son.
Who indeed?
Who is going to honor me as a woman?
Prayerfully, young boys will learn to do just that beginning when they are very young.

2 responses to “Learning Honor And Respect”

1. Thanks Gina!

   I’ll think of today’s blog next time I hold the door for someone:)

   Reply

   • How lovely, Jeff.
     Chivalry is alive and well.
     Gina

     Reply