Raising Girls

First of all, I know I used improper grammar for my title of this post. When you talk about children, you’re supposed to say “rear” not “raise.” Personally, I think that’s a stupid rule and since it’s my blog, I’m not gonna follow it.

Secondly, doesn't this picture just make you laugh? This is what a typical day at our house is like (i.e. it's never quiet around here). Back to the subject at hand…

I hear all the time about how hard it is to have sons. I always laugh because I grew up taking care of my brother and also played a big part in my nephew’s life when he was little. Because of that, I always assumed I would have boys. And I was happy with that. I didn’t want girls. This may shock you, but I’m not the bow and dresses kinda person.

So, when we found out Hope was a girl, part of me was shocked. I wasn’t disappointed, just overwhelmed at what to do with a girl. I hated the color pink (I still don’t love it, but when it’s combined with orange, I kinda like it). I struggled fixing my own hair—how was I going to do someone else’s? My sense of style is severely lacking—how was I going to teach a girl how to match shirts with skirts?

I’m not discounting the fact that boys are hard. I can only imagine the joy of teaching them to aim in the toilet. But girls are a different kind of hard.

With my girls, I always worry about their self-esteem. Are they confident in whom God created them to be? I’ve always been conscious of making negative remarks about my looks in front of them. We talk about healthy eating instead of body shape. We encourage kind behavior and good grades over looking pretty (although Brian and I are always aware and complimenting them on how pretty they are, too).

I think the hardest part of this, is that I’m still growing in this area, and I have a loooooong way to go. I have a warped sense of identity and most days, I’m self-conscious of how I look and am perceived by others.

I’m also very authentic and it’s hard to tell my girls something I don’t fully embrace for myself. I think that is one of the reasons God chose to bless me with girls. He knows I’m a kinetic learner and I would have to practice what I preach in order to “get it” myself.

Just one of the many things I love about Him…

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."