Lessons I hope that I am Teaching My Teenage Daughter

 

 

Parents play a valuable role in their kids’ lives. From the day that they are born you are the authority on everything, from what they say and how they act. You influence what they think and how they feel. We can teach them to be either pessimistic or optimistic, I hope that you choose the latter. Non the less, being a parent carries a heavy load. It’s a big job. Here are some life lessons that I hope and pray that I am doing a good job of teaching my daughter.

Self Love

• Love YOURSELF first. 
• Never lie to yourself and own all of your shit. We all have faults and I teach my daughter that our faults are a part of who we are but we also must actively work on improving ourselves.
• It’s nice to have a guy but you do not need a guy. You can survive alone and be happy by yourself. If the guy is not what you need, move on. I know it sounds harsh but life is too short to stay in a place that does not suit you (divorcee speaking from experience). 
• Don’t hold on to things or people who hurt you. 
• Give yourself grace. 
• Stay your sweet, compassionate, generous self. Do not change yourself to “fit in”. You are who God created you to be.

Responsibility

• You can always use me as a cop out because it’s not a cop out… There is a lot of pressure being a teenager and I want my baby girl to know that she can use me as an excuse any time that she needs to.
• Ask for it. The great answer will always be yes but sometimes yes is not the best answer.
• Treat others the way you would like to be treated… Even, and especially when they make it hard to. It makes you the best version of yourself.  
• It’s okay to cry when you’re hurt. In our home we are very emotional and I let my baby girl know that it is okay. However I also let her know that just because you are down you do not stay there. It’s okay to scream in the pillow and punch it if necessary but then you have to wipe your tears, put the pillow back in its place and move on because we don’t stay down, we don’t belong there.   

Affirmations

• You are worthy, you are worth it and you are enough!
• You are perfect just the way you are. Don’t allow anyone to make you feel otherwise. If they do, they are not your person. Walking away is okay. You deserve better. 
• I love you more than any human ever possibly can.

 

This is the short list of things that I pray that I am teaching my daughter. Lord willing, we have a long life to live and lots more life lessons to learn together. It is highly important that we teach our children, sorry to say this but, especially our daughters to value themselves and know their self worth.