Last Updated on March 20, 2018
I had myself a little freak out moment today!
One of my least favorite places in the world is a mall, but we had to go and boy did I get a lesson in normal.
I took my daughter shopping for school clothes and as we approached the dressing room a young man asked my daughter if she needed to be let in to try on some clothes. My first thought, you are a male, shouldn’t you be over at the male dressing rooms? But I tried to deal with that thought and followed him as he let her in the little square room and shut the door behind her. I almost confronted him as he offered, “If you need anything, just press the buzzer and I’ll be right here for you.”
“Right here for you?!” Instantly an alarm went off in my head and as I picked my jaw up off of the floor I smiled at him and then stood guard outside my daughter’s dressing room while she tried on some clothes. As I was standing there trying to come to grips with the fact that a male person was “helping” my daughter try on clothes I just about shrieked out loud when the same young man walked past me leading a teen boy into the dressing room adjacent to my daughter’s.
Yeah … can you EVEN believe that?
About that time she opened the door to her dressing room to show me her outfit, I pushed my way inside, closed the door behind me and proceeded to whisper to her the insanity that was going on all around us. She looked at me like I was from Mars (or are women supposed to be from Venus? Doesn’t matter, dumb book anyway.) and she said, “I think that’s normal.”
NORMAL? Is this the new normal?
So, what happened to separation of male and female in dressing rooms? So, what happened to modesty? So, what happened to my normal?
Moms, if your daughters are going to the malls and trying on clothes, they could be one four-inch piece of plywood from the curious eyes of boys … or even men. This fact makes my stomach lurch.
I am at least thankful that I discovered this new normal WITH my daughter so that I was able to lay some ground rules and teach her some ways to protect her modesty on future shopping excursions. (Or can I just lock her in my house until she’s 25?)
I never cease to be amazed at the way the enemy is weaseling his way into culture, indoctrinating our children into his “normal” and indeed prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Fortunately, my daughter prefers spending time on dirt bikes and horses, rather than wandering a mall. May I suggest that if yours prefers the mall, you may want to have a discussion about what is “normal” and help your daughter (and son for that matter) navigate boundaries with strangers. The mall is very different from when we were teens!
Better yet, let’s all just shop online … or maybe a sewing machine!?
Tracey Eyster is the Founder of MomLife Today and the annual Mom Camp event. Her book Be The Mom, LifeWay Bible Study Beautiful Mess and speaking engagements have allowed her the privilege of speaking into the lives of women sharing what God is teaching her. “Be intentional. Be relational. Be selfless.” In a nutshell, that’s her life and message. Tracey has been a mom since 1993 and she and Bill have been married for over 30 years.
This is the kind of info I definitely need! My own daughter is only 3, but with all there is out there, I need to prepared! I had no idea this is the new normal. And I need to have a talk with my sons, as well. Thanks for the heads up!
It is more inconvienant but we have pretty much stopped trying clothes on in the store. We bring them home and try them on and return them if need be. This doesn't always work for clearance items but it does for everything else.
"Normal" is so scary these days!
God bless,
Sallie