There are no ‘independent woman’ or ‘self-made men.’

Raising ‘independent women’ requires you to define what you mean by ‘independent.’ Children depend on adults to teach them how to feed themselves, dress themselves, speak, write, and think. Wise adults teach the skills that prevent their children from becoming a burden (or danger) to others.

Good parents raise children who are able to function in society without constant parental supervision. This is the good kind of ‘independence.’

Rotten parents teach kids something else. These parents handicap their kids with the false belief that society owes them respect, compassion, empathy, and acceptance. Unloving parents raise their kids to believe that an ‘independent woman’ does whatever she wants and doesn’t explain herself to anyone. Awful adults teach kids that independence and selfishness are the same thing.

“John, you jerk!!! You think women should be doormats! SOOOOO typical of Christian males!!!!”

I think women should be imitators of Christ. If you weren’t totally preoccupied by misunderstanding my point, you could make the case that Jesus was the ultimate ‘doormat.’ The New Testament doesn’t say much about ‘standing up for yourself’ and ‘getting what you deserve.’ It does say you’re supposed to turn the other cheek and make sacrifices even for people who don’t appreciate it.

Christians understand that absolute ‘independence’ is a myth. If God were not sustaining our lives, we wouldn’t be here. No men (or women) operate under their own power. We depend entirely on God’s generosity for every heartbeat.

(1 Corinthians 11:11) In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.