Mothering Daughters

Our girl is still in her early childhood years and I love each and every moment of this sweet and innocent age (let's be real...I love most moments of this mostly sweet age!). With that in mind, please don't get me wrong when I say that I am already reading books about her tween years. I am not trying to fast forward time, especially since most days I wish we could keep our girl at the age she is today. Having had the opportunity to work with both "tween" (9-12 years) and "teen" (13-18 years) girls in youth ministry in the past though, I have been thinking more and more about how to prepare in advance to raise our own daughter as she enters into those crucial stages.

I first became familiar with Dannah Gresh's work when I was leading a middle-school girls' study through her "Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty" book. This is a MUST READ for tweens, teens and even college-age girls. I also highly recommend that moms read this book well-before their own daughters enter their tweens. It's a fun, quick read and is a book I plan to study together with my daughter when she is older.

The book I have been reading recently by Dannah Gresh is "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl". While it is targeted towards mothers with tweens, I would recommend that moms get an advanced start and read it even before their girls are close to that age group. It has challenged me to consider how we raise our own daughter, from the types of toys she has, to how many toys, to how to truly connect in our mother-daughter relationship. It has also given me ideas for fun activities and experiences that we can share together. I originally checked out the book from the library but just ordered my own copy to reference over the upcoming years.

For now, while I will continue to try to equip myself to parent through the stages to come, I am recognizing more and more how fast children grow. I am going to continue to savor every moment as the mother of a young girl. I am excited to share in the journey of watching our precious daughter grow into a young woman but sure wouldn't mind if the clock could stand still once in awhile.

(For more on Dannah Gresh and resources on raising girls, modesty and purity, check out http://www.purefreedom.org/)