Write 31 Days :: Lessons for my Daughters

From the time I was a little girl I always dreamed of being a Mom. I loved playing
dolls, thinking of names for my children, and when I was old enough to babysit I
took every opportunity that came my way. I loved being around young children
and even enjoyed the challenge of caring for groups of them when given the
chance.

I learned a lot about meeting children’s needs during those opportunities of
babysitting and interacting with children and I thought I had a pretty good handle on what it might be like to be a Mom one day.

Nineteen months into our marriage I became pregnant with our first child.
I read all the books. Books on baby care, books on discipline, books on
feeding/scheduling, books about teaching children about the Lord. And I was
ready.

But then out came my beautiful firstborn daughter and suddenly I knew nothing.
Feeding her was a challenge, knowing why she was crying was a mystery, and
trying to balance caring for her and continuing to function as a normal human
being was almost impossible.

Now, here we are seven years later, with four children– three girls and one boy–
and another little one due to join us by the beginning of December. I love my
children more than I ever thought possible. And even in the most challenging of
days (and nights) I love my role as a Mom and wouldn’t want it any other way.

But in many ways I still feel like I know nothing, and more often than I would like, I feel like I’m neglecting to teach them the things that I want them to know.

Yes, I have figured out how to meet their basic needs, gotten through the potty
training stage (two times anyway) and am now navigating through the Elementary
school-aged years with homework and relationship issues.

Certainly, I’ve learned as I’ve gone through each phase of their lives.
And I’m thankful for those practical lessons that make the day-in and day-out of
caring for them possible.

It’s the overwhelming sense of knowing that I have the job–the privilege–of
teaching EVERYTHING to my children that makes me feel most inept.

They need to learn manners, how to carry on conversations, how to live
independently, make decisions, put an outfit together, wash their hair, handle
their emotions, respect authority, and on and on the list goes.

The even weightier responsibility that I feel is the work of imparting to them
knowledge of God and His Word. For it is in the Word of God that they will find
true meaning for life, salvation, freedom in Christ, and all things necessary to live
in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

The book of Proverbs has been a guide to me throughout my life. One
of the things I love about the way this book is written is the relationship that’s evident
between a father and son. Solomon, the author, often says, “When I was a son
with my father…he taught me and said…”

And then he goes on to share words of wisdom imparted to him by his father.

This has been powerful to me as a Mom of three daughters. I want to be
intentional in teaching my girls about life. Every aspect of it. And even though I know they will learn from others, I want to be sure that they have specific instructions about life from me.

For the past four years I’ve participated in the Write 31 Days challenge during the month of October. My topics have varied and it’s always been fun to try and find a topic that I think I
could fill with 31 different blog posts.

Even though this year is a bit crazy, I decided to jump in again and commit to writing every day during this month. My topic?

“Lessons for my Daughters”

It’s intentionally vague. It would be impossible to cover every single lesson that I want them to know in just 31 days. And it would be impossible to cover one entire topic in just 31 posts. Life lessons are more complex than that.

So, what can you expect from this series?

1. A post every day, Lord willing.
2. Posts on relationships, beauty, identity, decision making, the Christian life, practical tips, and more.
3. Lessons I have learned throughout my life. Some from my Mom, some from others, some just through life experience.
4. A few guest posts from other Moms of daughters.
5. Posts that speak specifically to the issues that I feel my girls will face, but the principles could certainly apply to boys.
6. Hopefully, encouraging and thought-provoking ideas to help any of you who are also seeking to raise girls in a way that glorifies God.

I’d love for you to join along. You can subscribe to receive new posts in your inbox by signing up via the email subscribe option here. Or, you can follow along by liking my Facebook page where I’ll be linking up a new post each day.

There are also thousands of other bloggers writing on a variety of topics this month. So, be sure to head over to 31 Days and look for a series that might be helpful to you in whatever season of life you find yourself in right now.

Happy October!

Day 2:: Be teachable, pay attention, always keep learning & What I Learned in September 2015

Day 3:: Learn your way in the Kitchen

Day 4:: Rest in Jesus

Day 5:: Make God’s Word your Delight

Day 6:: A Mother’s love multiplies

Day 7:: Guest Post from my Sister: Five Things Everyday

Day 8:: Pursue Your Dreams

Day 9:: When you cry over stuff

Day 10:: Learn from Others & Weekend Links

Day 11:: The Broken Heart

Day 12:: We are simply jars