Promiscuous Daughter

From Ask Emuna from Aish.com

Dear Emuna,
My 19-year-old daughter is away from home in her junior year at a Liberal Arts College. All is going very well in her life, she’s very mature and responsible with her school and work, except for the fact she has chosen to experiment with a promiscuous lifestyle which she informed us about during the holidays. Not only that but she now writes a blog about her escapades for the school paper.

My husband and I expressed our concerns about the negative consequences her choice would bring to her life, while simultaneously demonstrating our unconditional love. We do not judge her or feel embarrassed because of her; we only pray she will change her path sooner rather than later. My mother, on the other hand, has judged her severely and has shunned her from her home, The whole family is torn in half by this: my parents, sisters, cousins, including our two younger daughters (16 and 12). She went back to college after the holidays without any desire to return home although we still speak regularly and remain very close to each other. I don't know how to balance my obligation to honor and love both my mother and daughter unconditionally. This makes me profoundly sad, how should I approach this?

Torn

Dear Torn,

You are choosing the only path a truly loving parent can choose with their child and I respect and admire you for it.

It is not a lack of love or honor for your mother to recognize that she has chosen a destructive path. Judging your daughter and pushing her away from her family will definitely NOT lead to any desire to return on her part. It may even work to push her to pursue this lifestyle more aggressively.

You need to do what’s best for your daughter and maintain an open home and heart. And you need to stand up to your mother, tell her how hurtful her behavior is, and ask her to stop.

Continue reading.