Sheltered
I have received many an inquiry over the years from well-meaning—and not so well-meaning—people over the whole “sheltered” issue.
“If you are home schooled, you must be sheltered.”
“How do you live a full life if you are so sheltered?”
“You are growing up brainwashed and won’t know how to think for yourself!”
“You have to be able to live a little! How can you experience life locked in a house all day?”
“You should go to school, you are missing out on an experience!”
“You are going to experience intense culture shock and not know what to do when confronted with the world.”
Obviously, if you even know me at all, you know that most of these comments are founded on misconceptions of what my life is actually like in the first place.
My first reaction to most of these comments, concerns and jabs was often the thought: How little do you think of me? That at the first sign of trouble I am going to crumble beneath the weight of peer pressure and the fleshly desires so long held at bay?
But then my second thought is . . . how little do you think of my God?
Why does the word “sheltered” strike such fear into the hearts of those who hear it?
As an adult who has had a few years “out of the house” under my belt, the experiences that I have been through and the second hand accounts from friends and co-workers have not made me question the wisdom of my parents’ desire to shelter me as a child and teen . . . instead, it has made me intensely grateful for it and grown a desire in me to treat my kids the same way.
If being “sheltered” means I didn’t have to put up with gossip, trash talk, bullying, and the peer pressure to indulge in sex, drugs and alcohol of a public school . . . I’ll take it any day.
If being “sheltered” means not having to hear the f-bomb and other foul and polluting language constantly assaulting my ears on a regular basis, then I’ll take it.
If being “sheltered” means feeling strongly and choosing not to have pre-marital sex, get drunk, or live promiscuous lifestyles, I’ll take it.
If being “sheltered” means that I have never experienced men taking advantage of me or dealt with relationship hardships, then I’ll take it.
If being “sheltered” means that I wasn’t exposed to any of the aforementioned garbage through movies, TV or music, then so be it.
So many people see being sheltered as a negative . . . I wonder if they don’t have it wrong. I wouldn’t trade my upbringing for anything.
Have you been told you were sheltered? What do you think about it?
I’m sorry if this post comes off a bit strong, but it is something that makes my heart ache, the misconceptions that people have. But the comments and questions that come out of the ignorance are hurtful, and there’s no going around that.
By God’s Grace
Victoria