“I choose not to share, while I work on accepting that my silence inevitably gives others room to judge”
I was horrified by some of the points of view in the piece on what mothers today feel about having their daughters do chesed or babysit out of the house. Where have we gone wrong as a society that we prioritize sheltering our children from potential, not even actual, negative outside influences over helping others out?
I once heard Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky say that Yiddishkeit is like a fitted sheet. You pull too hard on one side, the other side comes up. I see that clearly here. These mothers place so much emphasis on insularity that they don’t allow their daughters to lend a helping hand to people in need.
We’re seeing this same trend with the elitism in school acceptance, as a letter in the Inbox recently pointed out. Parents are so concerned about their children being exposed to something negative, they’re willing to trample on the dignity of others. I don’t believe this stems from yiras Shamayim, I think it’s the frum version of helicopter parenting, a manifestation of the belief in the wider world that our children are snowflakes who will melt when they experience any heat. We need to realize this is the work of the yetzer hara and put a stop to it.
Suri C.
I just wanted to say how much your story of being a young widow and most people not realizing that you’re not a happy-go-lucky newlywed resonated with me, and I was touched by your bravery.
Create a free account to keep reading.
