Companion. It’s not a word you hear much anymore, but in the 1800’s it was commonly used to describe a young woman’s employment by an older relative or family acquaintance. A mature girl, usually 12 or older, would be hired to spend countless hours keeping her elderly charge company. While “having tea” or sitting together in the drawing room, the two would discuss matters of general interest and domesticity.

Besides reading the Bible, it was the companion’s job to read through volumes of books such as Emerson’s Essays and Voices of the Night Ballads and Other Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And if her older counterpart happened to “doze off” during one of those prolonged reading sessions, the youngster was free, for a time, to pursue her own interests.

Being a companion was tiresome work – but not without its rewards, especially if your employer planned to travel abroad. You may remember the scene in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women where Jo grumbles about the injustices of having to be the companion of that “crabby old miser” Aunt March. The only bright spot on her horizon was a potential trip to Europe. The relationship between the two March women was strained and hardly represents the true spirit in which companionship is to be given or received.

The word “companion” is found only 13 times in the Bible. In the Greek New Testament it is “sugkoinonos,” meaning “participant with others in anything, a joint partnership.” Another word which is closely related is “sunergos,” meaning “a companion of labor, one who labors in furthering the cause of Christ.”

I think these two words perfectly describe the ministry of The Girlhood Home Companion. We are joint partners with your daughter, helping her to participate in all that is feminine and lovely as she grows in the Lord, and a companion in labor, helping her cultivate godly character qualities, thus furthering the cause of Christ.

“During the Victorian era, when life moved at a much slower pace, there were distinct periods of development in a girl’s life: babyhood, childhood, girlhood, and womanhood. I have seen a marked difference between the girl my oldest daughter used to be and the lovely woman she has become in Christ. One thing I firmly believe is that girlhood is a priceless training ground that should not be rushed. Make The Girlhood Home Companion a tradition in your home.” – Mrs. Jill Novak