When I found out I was pregnant, it was the biggest surprise of my life.
Needless to say, my life was changing – and with that, everything in it!
It’s a miracle the way God makes little people that look and act just like you.
At that moment that you find out you are having a girl. A daughter for that matter. It seems so surreal.
From the very first day she is born its Pink bows, pink room, pink shoes, PINK EVERYTHING!
Then time happens. They grow up.
You blink, and before we know it they are wanting to go on a date. Or buy their first car! Oh wow, where does the time seem to go?
Things get missed, moments get taken for granted and, in all actuality, we forget what important part a mom plays in her daughter’s life.
For that reason, there are 10 things your daughter should know before she turns 18:
1. Keep a Few Close Friends
High school is filled with the all too familiar “popularity” contests. Being in the “in” crowd or the not so cool unicorn crowd.
Whatever the case, it is okay to not be the popular one.
Having a few close friends, especially when you are older, is hard to come by.
Don’t worry about leaving your friends behind for college. You will make new ones along the way.
People grow and when they grow, your friends and preferences will change. Embrace it.
2. It’s Okay To Fail
Failures in life will happen. Learn that this is a fact of life and without failure, there would not be a success.
F.A.I.L stands for First Attempt In Learning. Learning is what life is all about.
And through learning, you will learn that that one failure led you closer to your goal.
The most successful people in life have failed – and they did not give up, they kept pushing toward their goal.
Grow with a commitment to reach your goals and your dreams and don’t give up.
3. Come Home Often
There will be a point in your life where getting out of the house never felt so good!
You will want to run for your life to be quite honest. It’ll break your mom’s heart for a while as you go your own way. And that is okay!
Don’t forget that you have a family. That you have someone that loves you and cares about you at home.
There are many sleepless nights ahead for your mom and/dad that just warrants a phone call to let them know you are okay.
Go, be free. But always remember that there is someone back at home that deserves an “I love you” phone call.
And you will never regret going back home from time to time.
4. It’s Okay to Love More Than Once
You will probably think your first high school puppy love will be your forever love (sigh) and it may be.
True fact, the majority of the population has at least three loves in their lifetime.
- Once when they are of a young age (aka puppy love/highschool) your sneak around your guy because dad doesn’t like him.
- The second one will be the hardest. This love will teach you lessons and may cause pain. You will break up and get back together again. Each time you will learn something from the last. It’ll be a vicious cycle of trust issues and drama. But, in the end, you will come out stronger. All in all, preparing you for the last and forever relationship.
- Your third love will be something that you aren’t looking for. They will come in when you least expect it and literally sweep you off your feet. This love will be your forever love. It will teach you patience and kindness and it will feel, well RIGHT. And when you find that one person you will want to know how to stay in love for a lifetime. Because there are secrets to a happy marriage.
5. Establish Boundaries
There will come a time in your life that people will test your limits. Especially when you get older and start a career.
Make sure people live up to your expectations not look down on yours. Raise your standards high.
If someone/something in your life is not serving you, change it. Don’t let people take advantage of you, let them know where you stand.
Setting boundaries helps define who you are as a person.
By setting boundaries with work, people, money and in your personal life you will be happier in life with boundaries at play.
6. Stand Up For Yourself/Others
All too often, you will be faced with a challenge. Something that infuriates you so much.
I hope you are not this person. I will hope that you will make your voice heard and not let other people walk on you or other people in your life.
Staying silent when something is wrong is not in fact wrong, but there is a time and place to let it out. Don’t be afraid to tell others how you feel.
And if something isn’t going right be the person to stand up and say something!
There will be times when other people can’t have their voices be heard, just like in medicine. Not everyone will have a voice, advocate for them. Be there for them and stand up for your self and what you believe in.
7. Don’t Stop Adventuring
When you are in your later 30’s, your life will more than likely slow down. You may have kids in school and your career set already.
Don’t stop going on adventures. Adventures are what sets the soul on fire!
You may be married at this time. Go on and find an adventure with your spouse. Make the most of this time.
Your 30’s will be spent doing some very important things. Taking adventures and setting out to find new things will only take you further in life.
8. Embrace Change
Change is easier said than done. It happens when we least expect it and it can happen when we provoke it.
Change is scary. But the best things in life are found when you do things scared.
Doesn’t it sound scary? Doing something you are scared of doing?
Sometimes the greatest rewards in life come from doing the things that scare you the most.
Change is the chance to start over and rethink what you want to do with your life. We only regret the chances that we didn’t take.
9. Take Lots of Pictures
Living in a world where most of our daily lives stem from some form of electronic device, there will be a camera somewhere.
Take lots of pictures. Upload them to a memory device and save them.
Pictures are full of memories. Full of the opportunities and smiles and, crazy stunts we pulled.
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Pictures go back years and years and are the stories of our lives.
There is no excuse in life to not capture a moment of something that means a lot to you.
Memories last in your mind forever, but when you take a picture it puts that memory back in the front of your mind and you get to relive it all over again.
What a technical world we live in. Capture the moments.
10. Be Proud of Who You Become
There are many times in life that you will want to reinvent yourself. Maybe you just haven’t found something that you love to do.
Whenever you do find her, be proud of her. Be content with the women you are working toward, or the women you are becoming.
Acknowledge the fact that you worked hard to get to where you are and don’t ever lose sight of that.
Be proud of who you are. Be proud of yourself. Go on…Clap for your damn self! You deserve it.
From The Mom That Loves You
To the moms that love our daughters.
We aren’t perfect by any means even though we strive to be.
We have our plates full.
And, through this life, we created little people that look up to us.
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