Here are 10 things that you need to know about being a Mommy to a daughter.
1. It really is fun to match! I loved to wear matching Mommy
and Me outfits with my daughters. Call me crazy, but I was drooling over matching
Laura Ashley outfits in the early 90's when I didn’t even have children. There
was never a doubt in my mind that we would match sometimes…as it happened, my
daughters loved it! Although they went through a brief phase around age 9 or 10
where they did not want to match me, lately they’ve been looking for ways for
us to wear similar prints or styles.
2. Keep them in smocked dresses as long as you can.
Unfortunately, the window of opportunity for beautifully smocked dresses is
relatively short. Although Natalia and Alexia would humor me (and their grandma
and nana) by wearing smocked dresses on holidays, they were pretty much over it
around age 7 or 8.
3. Hair is very important! My girls LOVE to have their hair
styled and braided in a million different ways. From the time I could get a bow
in their hair, they wore a bow every day. Even at almost 13 years old, the
girls still wear all of their bows…they just wear them differently than they
did as little girls. They still love for me to help them with their hair and
play with each other’s hair from time to time. If your daughter is involved in
dance or cheer, you’ll have to become a quick expert in hair styling. Believe
it or not, I got a lot of great tips and hair style ideas after watching an
American Girl hair styling DVD!
Some of the bow collection |
4. A box is still the best toy! Helping your daughter to
develop a great imagination is a wonderful gift that you can give to her. A
huge, oversized box is always a great toy for a snow day or a rainy afternoon.
With some markers and scissors, an ordinary box becomes a house or a boat,
filled to capacity with girls and their dolls, stuffed animals, and other
treasures.
5. Every girl needs a bag. I don’t go anywhere without my
purse. I encouraged my girls to take a quiet activity or book with them in a
small bag when we would go in the car or out to eat. From a very young age, my
girls took a bag full of surprises with them wherever they went. They often
insisted in bringing their babies or dolls and often wanted to wheel them along
in a tiny stroller. I almost always obliged their request and believe that
their caring, nurturing personalities are a result of the care that they took
with their babies and materials as little girls.
6. With a daughter, you’ll have a perfect excuse to re-read
some of your favorite Judy Blume and Nancy Drew books. I love to talk with my
girls about what they are reading. It’s a great way to have a conversation with
them about so many important issues. I really like the Best of Blume: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret/Blubber/Iggie's House/Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself
, some of Judy Blume's best books all in one.
7.When you’re not reading, have a movie night with your daughter
and watch some of your favorite John Hughes movies. What better excuse to see
Jake Ryan in action than a night of movies and popcorn with your daughter. But
I have to warn you, it’s funny to watch movies like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen
Candles from the “mom” point of view. My girls were shocked by the smoking and
teen drinking in the movies and said that the characters were making “bad
decisions.” Ha! You can get Sixteen Candles (Flashback Edition)
on Amazon for about the same price as an old Blockbuster video back in the day.
8. Sooner than you can imagine, your daughter will want to
share clothing with you. We were getting ready to go to a wedding and I couldn’t
find a sweater and necklace that I wanted to wear. I’ll give you two guesses as
to the whereabouts of the items…on my two daughters!
The Shared Closet |
9. Share secrets with your daughter. I love the relationship
that I have with my girls. So often, we can communicate with each other without
saying a word. A glance or gesture is worth a thousand words. It makes a simple
trip an adventure. My girls also know my expectations for them with one look in
my eye.
10. The hardest part of being a mother of daughters is being
able to let them go…and grow. Just this week, I had tears in my eyes as I was
driving away after dropping them off at sleepaway camp. They’re experts at
sleepaway camp and have been going away since they were 7 years old. But it is
never easy for me to leave them. One of the things that I appreciate most is
that my parents let me have travel and camp experiences from a very young age.
It helped me to make decisions for myself and to grow as a person. The girls
are very mature and responsible and I feel that these unique experiences have
helped to shape their character. I am not looking forward to the day when they
both go to college, but realize that it’s just another milestone along the
journey.
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The girls' cabin at camp |
That is a great post! I love being mom to my girls especially after 8 years of only being a boy mom. Enough will trucks and trains and welcome princesses and tea parties.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing that I do with my daughter, that I feel has helped her be so open and honest with me, is that I just listen. Even when she is telling me things about her friends that make me want to shriek in horror, I just bite my tongue and listen, with no judgement. My husband is amazed at how much the kids tell me and I remind him that as soon as they share something with him he starts in with a lecture, I just listen.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet post, and one can clearly see you have a very special relationship with your girls. Love that first photo of the three of you in matching pink Lilly.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. And for what it's worth, as the mother of a daughter who is about to turn 30 in a few weeks, you are doing it exactly right. Bless you.
ReplyDelete