“Do not arouse, do not stir up love before its own time.”Song of Songs 3:5, NAB
In the 44-page booklet "Pure Womanhood", Crystalina Evert draws from her own experience to address the questions adolescent girls might have about why they should wait. From the first page, she lets the readers know she was no angel, but that she regretted having given up the precious gift of her virginity before marriage. Coming from this perspective allows her to get her points across without sounding overly preachy.
Evert brings up points that ideally would be a part of the continual conversation between mothers and their daughters in the years leading up to and through the onset of dating. Girls need to know why they should wait, and tools they can use to help them to remain pure. They need to know that guys actually respect and value a young woman who respects and values her own body and mind. And they need to know the scary, well-documented stuff that is brought up at the end of the book about how birth control does not protect from sexually transmitted diseases and has some nasty side effects.
For the young woman who has not received the message that her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, this little book might be the eye opener that helps to save her from the heartache that comes with empty sexual experiences. I would recommend putting this book out among teenage youth groups, in conjunction with the availability of a counselor who could talk to the girls about the questions they might have.
For teenage girls who have received all this information from their parents already, this could be used as an added reinforcement. For pre-teen girls who have not yet been exposed to the dating world, I would recommend previewing the book to decide if the material is appropriate.
Crystalina Evert is a chastity speaker and is a co-author of Theology of the Body for Teens. "Pure Womanhood" is published by Pure Love Club.
You might enjoy my review of "Pure Manhood" by Jason Evert.
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Pure Womanhood.
4 comments:
Sounds like I could have written this book! It's true, nothing but regret for what I did before I got married and I wish I could tell other young women to not make the same mistakes.
We all make foolish mistakes when we're young. If you don't you are bound to be a really boring adult! (Still I wouldn't want my kids to do some of the stupid stuff I did.) Charlotte, you can share your story and help teens by becoming a chastity speaker. There are two websites you can check out. Google Theology of the Body and Theology of the Body for Teens.
We all make foolish mistakes when we're young. If you don't you are bound to be a really boring adult! (Still I wouldn't want my kids to do some of the stupid stuff I did.) Charlotte, you can share your story and help teens by becoming a chastity speaker. There are two websites you can check out. Google Theology of the Body and Theology of the Body for Teens.
How lucky our daughters are to have such great role models like Jason and Crystalina Evert!
We had 'free love' and for CCD 'rap' programs (not music, seventies style rap meant discussion groups about nothing in particular; that was high school CCD). No abstinence education, that stuff was thrown out with the Gidget movies.
Take it easy on yourself Charlotte, you grew up in turbulent times. The pendulum is just beginning to swing back now.
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