Five Things I NEED My Daughter to Know
It’s a question I think most parents ask themselves, “What do I want to teach my kids?” It’s been on my mind quite a bit lately as my kids are getting older and are better able to voice their own thoughts and their actions start to really show what they are learning.
Having two little boys and then a sweet little girl is a special experience. I get to witness the rough and tumbly wrestling matches, the crazy lego creations, the sheer dirtiness of little boys. And then here comes Grace, dressed to the nines in two princess dresses, heels and a tiara. She is a girl through and through. There isn’t a drop of tomboy in her. I. LOVE. IT.
I’ve been more intentional about how I am spending my time this week and have really listened to what she is saying instead of mumbling, “uh huh, really?!, oh, okay, mmmhmmm”. So, naturally I’ve come to appreciate this little slice of heaven I’ve been given and how much I want to protect and nurture her. Now, I’m not saying the boys are any less special. A separate post for them will probably be coming soon, but here are some things I NEED my daughter to know before she leaves my care. Listen up, Gracie!
1. I will ALWAYS love you.
No matter where you go in life, no matter what you do, I will always love you. You could run off and join the circus or win the Nobel Peace Prize. I honestly don’t have a preference. There is nothing you can do in this life that will cost you my love.
2. No man can ever complete you.
It seems to be a mindset among girls and women that you need a man to be worth anything. It’s not true. God knows who you are going to marry and when it’s the right time, he’ll reveal him to you. Until then, make friends, enjoy being you. Don’t look for your identity in boys. God made you complete just the way you are, honey. You will hear this from your Daddy when you’re older (read in a low man voice) “Teenage boys only have one thing on their minds”. Sweety, I hate to tell you this, but he’s right. Also, I feel I should warn you that your Daddy is planning on buying a gun. Just a heads up.
3. True beauty is not only skin deep.
You are a very pretty little girl and I know you will be a gorgeous young woman, I mean, come on, you ARE my daughter. HAHA! Sorry, that’s just one of those embarrassing “mom” things. Get used to it. But true beauty comes from knowing who you are in Christ, being confident in who God’s made you to be. Kindness, gentleness, generosity, mercy, compassion, understanding. If you possess those qualities you will be the most beautiful woman in the world. Make-up and dresses and shoes are all fun things and there is nothing wrong with enjoying them, but don’t let them consume you.
4. Life is not fair.
You should know this by now since I tell you all the time, but I’ll just throw it in there so you don’t forget. I’ll just put it bluntly, okay? Sometimes life just plain sucks. There, now you know. Sometimes you don’t have enough money or you lose your job. Sometimes your husband is gone for what seems like forever. Sometimes people’s children die. At some point your daddy and I will die, honey. There is a popular saying, I think Mother Theresa said it, that God won’t give you more then you can handle. Maybe that is true (I’d hate to diss Mother Theresa) but I like to think that sometimes God does give you more then you can handle so that you learn to lean on him.
5. God is always there.
You might go through some stuff in your life. You will have low points and high points. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. Some days will just be ho-hum. You’ll make friends, you’ll lose friends. Through all of this, the one thing you can absolutely be sure of is that God is with you. He’s always by your side. There is a peace that you will someday yearn for and it can only be found when you understand that God is in control. He’s got this!
I love you, Squish Face!
These Ordinary Graces 