Part Eight: Let it Be = Love3

A short paragraph on the Botkin sister’s book, So much More. I have not read the book, my sister has, but I refused to read it beyond the occasional paragraph. (I find it rather funny now that I kept on refusing to read the book....) I have seen the Botkin’s video and been to their web-site and am appalled by the amount of arrogance in their teaching. Lots of young women choose to live at home, even after eighteen, and this does not make them heroines! (Though, if the word “heroine” is used in Latin it means “demi-goddess” so maybe that’s what the Vision Forum people want young ladies to be. :-D) In one section of their website, a father and mother ask for advice on parenting their daughter. The Botkin sisters, ages 19 and 21, seem to have no end of intelligence for they readily tell their elders how to handle their daughter. That is just wrong and weird. Since when do young ladies council parents? Since when do parents ask for advice from young women? Why didn’t the Botkin’s refer the couple to their parents for answers? What kinds of parents allow their daughters to give advice to parents on parenting? The Botkin sisters are not married and don’t have kids. If an adult asked me a question on parenting, I would give them a blank look and say, “I think you’d better ask my mom.” I might give my view on the subject but I doubt that I would be the only opinion a mom would seek. On another topic, the sister’s specifications for mates leave very little room for love and forgiveness—this trend in seeking perfection is sickening. We’re not perfect—far from it, actually—yet we make specifications for a future mate that seek absolute perfection with no exceptions? Now about serving my father, I love my father! I help him with odd jobs and his volunteer work—as does my entire family. This does not qualify me for a marble pedestal, nor is serving my father (and mother!! :-) ) my chief end and purpose. My parents would be very displeased if I gave up all my thoughts, plans, and dreams just to stay around waiting for a husband. That’s basically the teaching of So Much More. Really, there’s only a certain amount a young lady can learn about housekeeping, cooking and such things. I sew, bake, and cook but my mom is always there to bail me out if I burn something up. No matter how much I help and serve my father; I will still have to adjust quite a bit when I marry because a husband is not the same as a father. The same goes for Before you meet Prince Charming by Sarah Malley. I haven’t read it because I don’t see the point. You don’t need a book to prepare you for anything; you just need to observe and use your common sense! One of my favorite fairy tales is found in a little paperback story-book that was my mother’s as a child. I found it when I was small and took great delight in reading all the little stories, but my favorite is titled, The Practical Princess. Princess Bedelia was blessed with the gift of common sense by a fairy at her christening and she uses it quite well. I suppose Princess Bedelia is one of my greatest influences; for her catchphrase is, “Use your common sense!”14 I doubt if Princess Bedelia would be friends with any of the authors of the books I’ve critiqued. Here’s my advice: Leave So Much More and any other books that try to tell you how to live, on the shelf. (With the exception of the Bible.) Spend your time serving the Lord. Whether that is by serving your father or going to college to become a doctor or going to Africa to be a missionary; I really don’t care. :-) It's your life and it's between you and God. Oh, and we used our common sense and sold our copy of So Much More on eBay. :-)