Raising a teen daughter is so much different than raising a son. The life lessons take a totally different turn. Our 3 sons are raised and living on their own and we are left with just our daughter at home. She is our only daughter and is 14 years old now ... the adventure has begun!
I love each and every day with her. She is such a blessing and a total wonder to watch as she flourishes and grows into the godly young lady that God is molding her to be. Along the way, we have hit some bumps and snares in the road, but with each sudden stop we try to assess the situation and see what life is trying to teach us.
Yes, you heard me correct ... teach US! As God teaches her, He also teaches me. I am learning so much by going thru the growing pains with my daughter. Just since this past summer we have learned that most boys at age 14 are morons. We have also learned that girls are just downright mean. Another lesson we learned is that true friends aren't always the ones you think are true. And the biggie ... we have learned that growing up as a teen girl today is NOTHING like being a teen back in my day!
We talk about everything.
We shop together.
We pray together.
We laugh together.
Today, over AT THE WELL, we are discussing how we encourage our daughters in their walk with the Lord. There are two very important ways that a mother can encourage her daughter to be godly in a very mean spirited and ungodly world...
1. be an example to her.
2. share God's example to her.
"I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." (Psalm 89:1)I have been trying to teach my daughter that not only is God faithful but He desires us to BE faithful! Nike has had for years, a famous slogan ..."Just do it!" We need to get back to the basics of learning and passing on the mentality of "Just do it!" when it comes to loyalty, trustworthiness and character in our relationships.
As I journey thru this adventure with my teen daughter, we have been learning about faithfulness. Being faithful not only to our word but also faithful in our relationships. It is a tough thing, when a 14 year old experiences a friend who is unfaithful. A friend who gossips, or betrays a trust is often found to be unfaithful not only in loyalty or trustworthiness but in character. And this is where NIKE has more influence than a shoe to wear in our family.
So what does faithfulness in action look like?
~you follow thru...if you say it, then do it.~you come thru...no matter.
~you deliver the goods....on time.
~you show up ... early preferrably.
~you keep your word ...your "yes" means "yes" and your "no" means "no".
~you keep your appointments and commitments ... don't cancel unless it is an emergency.~you are a regular attender at your church...you don't neglect worship.
I want to be found to be faithful in all that I do!
How about you?
Join the discussion today over AT THE WELL
Wonderful post, God bless you and your dear daughter.
ReplyDeleteOh Laurie, again I can REALLY relate to your post. I love the illustrations you use to pull "real life" into your teachings. I too had 3 grown sons (my boys were all quite a bit older than she was. She was our little last minute gift) and my only daughter left to raise at home just a few short years ago. We too talked about ABSOLUTELY everything together, (sometimes for hours on end) shared everything and so much more that only mothers and daughter can. I felt such a HUGE responsibility to raise her to be a strong, loving Christian woman in a topsy turvy world. Not that I didn't with my sons, but you are right, for me it was different. Soooo many lessons to be learned, and again you are right, for BOTH of us. I look back on those years now, and I miss them for sure. The stories I could tell you. My advice for mother's of teens would be just what you have already said....talk, talk, and talk some more. I was always totally honest with Melody and there wasn't a single subject matter off limit. Melody married a year ago last June (to her high school sweet heart) right after she graduated from college that May and moved 1000 miles away from to join her Dairy farmer husband in New Mexico. How I miss her!! And yet, the lessons haven't stopped. They are different now. They are from adult to adult. They are mainly over the phone. And sometimes I find myself listening to her words of wisdom too. Many times recently when I am missing her and bemoaining the fact that she lives soo far away, I feel like the Lord whispers to me, "You did your job well. You raised her to be a strong, independent, daughter of the King, living for Him, and she is." She turned 23 this July and I still can't believe how fast it all went. I would say to anyone in your shoes right now...ENJOY this special, special time with your daughter and praise God for her every day. She will be grown and gone before you know it. I may have entered a new season with mine, but it is still such an honor and a thrill to be the mother of a daughter. Have a great day. Blessings to you, Debbie
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie, I read your comment on Debbie's blog and just had to come say hello. I really love your wonderful illustrations of living out the Word of God in your own life, and teaching through that example and through scripture how we can change the outcome of our experiences. We raised a son, a very good guy that never was any problem, but our daughter is mentally disabled, so I didn't know the differences until our granddaughters came along. The 10 yr. old is already going through difficult times, and calls me in tears almost every night. She isn't getting the Christian training at home, I'm sad to say, and my influence is limited, but I've given her God's Little Devotional for Kids, and I pray with her at night. When she's here, which is quite often, we talk about things from God's perspective and from the Word. I know those things will help her through whatever difficulty she finds herself in. I so agree that being 14 today is very different than when we were 14...our kids have so much more to overcome, but with God's protection and praying parents and grandparents, the will all the stronger, for they're cimbing higher mountains than we could have imagined. God bless, Laurie.
ReplyDeleteMary