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The Gift of Girlhood



I have this girl. This five year old, tea party planning, sweet, princess curtsying, letter writing, ballet dancing, fantastical story telling, sassy, clothes designing, pastry baking, Jesus loving girl.



She has changed my life - she made me a mother. She was my "easy" child. The first born. She was advanced in almost everything as a baby, speaking in full sentences by 18 months, writing her name before she was three. She is smart and brilliant and challenging. I often have to remind her the I am the mother, that I am in charge and we have many talks about obedience (apparently she gets this from yours truly - just ask my mom!).

She made me become an intentional mom. I realized that this girl would never be satisfied with the worlds standard of child rearing. She wanted to be challenged and stimulated. She has a strong will, a righteous fervor and a zeal for life - I needed to foster those traits...find a way to bring out the very best in her. But most importantly I realized that I wanted to reach her heart. I wanted to build Godly, noble character in this girl - this daughter of mine.



I have failed so many times...At times, I have focused too much on the outside and not enough on her heart. I have placed my own insecurities and weaknesses onto her. Oh, I see so much of myself in her and it is often the hardest to parent the child who seems to magnify all of your own sins and struggles. Sometimes I give in too much, sometimes I am way too strict. I am so thankful for grace. Mostly, I am thankful for the way that this girl has challenged me to go deeper and deeper to seek the heart of God for me and my daughters. Learning more and more about the character of a Godly woman - and how that training starts from the very beginning. The best way for me to raise this girl - is to model what I want her to be.

Our culture is filled with little girls full of attitude, selfishness and vanity. I want to raise up girls full of gentleness, kindness and goodness. Girls that are courageous, hard workers and have servant hearts. I want to enjoy her innocent girlhood dreams. They were once my dreams...and some of them still are my dreams. I want to remember what it was like to dream of faraway kingdoms and extravagant parties and fields of wildflowers that never end. God has given us - girls - the ability to dream beauty into reality. We can take the simplest of things - a dandelion - and see the beauty, wonder and mystery of the wish that drifts away in the breeze.



She is a gift...I want to celebrate her dreams, sharpen her mind and capture her heart for God. I pray that I can be the ultimate example to her of what a women after God's heart looks like. I pray that I can let go of the "me" I see in her...the expectations of a recovering perfectionist mom...and let her be who God created her to be. Right now, she is simply this wonderful, enchanting, whimsical girl.






Oh how I love and adore this girl.

{Evelyn Grace}


If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out: The Beauty of Boyhood

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Comments

  1. Ana Sullivan from The Lost ApronMay 30, 2013 at 7:40 AM

    I am visiting you from Hearts for Home/Graced Simplicity. This is a beautiful letter to your daughter. One day you may get a beautiful letter from her. This past mother's day I received such a letter from my 23 year old daughter. It gives me strength to give you assurance to stay on course. All your sacrifices for her now will yield a godly woman.

    My post is about Summer Sewing Camp:
    http://www.thelostapron.com/2013/05/summer-sewing-camp-ready-to-begin.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 30, 2013 at 12:39 PM

      Thank you! How wonderful that you received that letter from your daughter - that is the ultimate reward! Blessings to you :)

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 30, 2013 at 12:12 PM

    Love, love, love it! And oh how she'll treasure reading this in a few (and many) years. Thank you for sharing your heart, I'll be sharing with my readers too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 30, 2013 at 12:40 PM

      Thank you for your sweet comment :) I really appreciate you sharing!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 31, 2013 at 8:02 AM

    From one "recovering perfectionist" mom to another, I love this post! Parenting is a challenge to grow in so many ways. Our middle child is the one who challenges me the most because he is also the most like me - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. However, I see so much potential in him, and I know by God's grace he will someday be an amazing leader. Thank the Lord for grace! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 31, 2013 at 8:49 AM

      Thank you for your feedback. I am definitely thankful for His grace :) Blessings to you!

      Delete
  4. UnknownJune 2, 2013 at 2:49 PM

    Just a powerful post! You inspire me as a mom. Pinned this. Thanks for linking up at Family Fun Friday.
    Sincerely,
    Monica
    http://happyandblessedhome.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 3, 2013 at 5:34 AM

      Thank you, Monica! Your link-up is a blessing to me :)

      Delete
  5. UnknownJune 5, 2013 at 2:22 AM

    This is such a beautiful post and you have such a beautiful daughter.

    I have a little girl who is 4 called Millie. She is my third child who was a bit of surprise! Yet after having two sons she has taught me so many things.

    She too is a very girly girl. This has been a surprise for me as I was more of a tom boy growing up. Yet, as you have written about so well here, there is such beauty in the way she expresses her girlyness! She is such a blessing to me.

    Thanks for sharing. Linked here from Walking Redeemed. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 6, 2013 at 4:41 AM

      Thank you for your sweet words! It sounds like our girls would be great friends! Thank you for sharing about your daughter. Be blessed!

      Delete
  6. UnknownJune 6, 2013 at 3:39 PM

    Modeling what she is to be is definitely key. And she is a most beautiful gift!
    My youngest girly-girl is turning 7 soon. I'm enjoying these little girl times with her still.
    Stopping by from Walking Redeemed. Have a blessed weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJune 7, 2013 at 5:06 AM

      She is a gift! What a blessing God has given us in these sweet girls :) Thank you for your feedback!

      Delete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2013 at 8:50 AM

    Beautiful! I have a little Anna who is just past the age of two and already sounds very similar to your little girl. Thank you for the encouragement and words of wisdom. Good to have a reminder to encourage her "girliness" :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 8:39 PM

    Thanks for this post! :o))))

    ReplyDelete

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