Rites of Passage

Do you remember wearing your mom’s high heels? How about putting on that glowing blue and pink eye shadow? Do you remember when you were allowed to go into the grocery store and pay for something yourself? What about being dropped off and going with friends to the movies, a play, or the skating rink?

My mind is full of “firsts.” You know those first memories of independence and feeling like you are older and wiser and responsible. Do you remember the feeling that comes with thinking your parent’s trust you and that you are officially a teenager?

It seems the middle school years are full of rites of passage. These are years filled with change and emotionally charged because of those changes. It is a time of personal transition as girls (and guys) move from childhood to young adulthood.

Although many rites of passage include some type of ceremony such as graduations and marriage, there are others that help girls’ transition and even out the emotional roller coaster. We’ve moved from elementary school to middle school and now to high school with one daughter. We’ve made the gentle transition of changing over a bedroom from a little girl room to a teenage girl room. We’ve made wardrobe changes, added pierced ears, put on makeup and other transitions in the course of the three middle school years. We’ve been part of Bible dedications, mission trips, camps, and other church activities to help our daughter transition and grow into a more mature faith.

As I’ve thought about the changes and transitions we’ve experienced over the last three years with our two older daughters and their friends, I’ve wondered if there are some other fun ways we could celebrate these middle school years. How could we recognize the milestones and rites of passage and the amazing young women in our home and in our church?

I want my daughters to remember wearing the high heels for the first time and their first time behind the wheel of a car. But even more, I want them to remember significant moments in their spiritual development when others recognized their spiritual gifts and how God was raising them up for His plans and purposes (Eph. 2:10).

What rites of passage do you have within your girls’ ministry or the student ministry at your church? How can you help girls and their parents make the transitions from little girl to teenager to young adult?