When I was growing up, we started participating in Young Women when we turned 12. Now, youth join the program in January of the year they turn 12 (as opposed to on their 12th birthday - which for me, wouldn't have mattered since my birthday is January 1st). This change, implemented two years ago, put Daisy in YW nine months sooner than she would have been otherwise. I'm a little shocked that I have a Young Woman already. For the most part, Daisy's outgrown primary, and she's ready to be in YW, but there's a lot she needs to learn. I guess that's the point of the program, though.
When I was a teenager, I really loved the Young Women program, and I thrived in it. I hope the same for my daughters, but all of our journeys will be different. I was blessed to have wonderful leaders, though I didn't know how wonderful they were until I grew up. Now I look back and realize just how amazing they were and how much I learned from them. As Daisy has started participating in Young Women, I've reflected back on my own experience and thought about some of the things I learned in Young Women that have stayed with me for life. Here are five of those things:
1. I learned how to cook
The YW program, especially in the past, has gotten a lot of flack for focusing too heavily on teaching homemaking skills. I feel like I had a good balance in my experience. We did some crafts and learned some domestic things, but we also learned other life skills like how to change a tire.
There was a woman in our ward who was known as a really good cook, and she taught us how to make crepes and cinnamon rolls. One of our leaders also put together a recipe book for us, and I used that recipe book all the time at home. At camp every year, we did all the cooking, and I learned a lot of valuable skills there, too.
Those lessons were the foundation of my learning how to cook when I grew up. I still had a lot to learn when I got married at 19, but I had a few mediocre skills to get me started thanks to Young Women.
Actual footage of me cooking
2. I learned how to play sports
I never participated any organized sports, but I always loved playing sports regardless - my favorites being volleyball and basketball. Church sports gave me the opportunity to learn to play those games. I lived for our weekdays practices and loved participating in games on Saturdays.
When I was in my twenties, I was called to be an assistant sports director in our stake. I've always thought it was hilarious... ME! Called to be an athlete! I had a lot of fun doing it, and I worked with women who knew what they were doing, and they got me through.
(If ever we need a stake mascot, PICK ME!)
3. I learned how to sing and lead music
I had very musical leaders, so my Young Women group did musical numbers all the time. I remember wanting to sing alto, but I didn't realize what alto was. I just knew altos sang different notes, so I would sing "alto" by singing whatever notes I wanted, so long as they were different from the melody. Then a kind leader pulled me aside and explained to me what altos were really supposed to sing. Mind blown! From then on, I tried to sing alto "the real way."
I also learned how to lead music. When I was 15, I was given the calling of Young Women chorister. I led the music every Sunday and at every activity.
Actual footage of me leading music
4. I learned how to lead and teach
Like I said, I had great leaders who modeled wonderful leadership skills to me. I served in various class presidencies and had the chance to attend planning meetings. I was given assignments and my leaders would help me fulfill them with success. I am not, and will never be, a perfect leader, but I know that anything I've ever done well can probably be traced back to things I learned in Young Women.
When I was in my final months of Young Women, my leaders could see that I was getting a little bored, so they arranged for me to participate in a teacher improvement course during Sunday school. The class happened to be taught by the same sister who taught us how to cook and was held in the high council room in the comfy chairs. That class helped me start learning the basic principles of teaching the gospel, and as soon as the class finished, I was called to teach youth Sunday school.
5. I learned how to pray
I remember experiencing a transition in my prayers sometimes between ages 15-16. I heard a prayer in YW (I don't remember who said it) that really touched my heart. The prayer was thoughtful - not full of repetition or prayer cliches. Until then, most of my prayers had sounded the same. It got me thinking about how my prayers could become more meaningful. I decided the best way to change my prayers was through practicing, so I started stepping up to offer the prayer whenever a volunteer was asked for. I also started changing my personal prayers.
One year at camp, we had a guest speaker come and talk about prayer. I remember her asking us if we ever took time before our prayers to think about what we were going to say. I'd never even thought to do that! But it made sense, so I started doing it, and I noticed my prayers were much more honest and thorough when I wasn't saying them on a whim.
As time has passed, my prayers have continued to grow and change as I have learned more about my relationship with Heavenly Father and the way he communicates with me.
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I hope someday my daughters will look back fondly on their own experiences in the Young Women program. I try to meet their spiritual and temporal needs as best I can at home, but I know that I can't do it alone. I'm glad they will have the chance to have teachers and role models to help them learn and grow. So even though I'm still shocked that I have a daughter old enough to be in Young Women, I'm really excited for her!
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