Godly Woman: Raising Daughters

     If you have a daughter, God has given you something special. Daughters grow up to be wives and mothers of their own children, who give the same love, affection, admonition and support that they were given as little girls. Mothers have a hand at creating loveable children who become loveable adults. They also have a hand at creating disrespectful children who become the same as adults.

Having a daughter doesn’t simply mean that you have a “mini me” or a baby doll to play dress up with or a shopping buddy. If you have a daughter, the thing first and foremost on your mind should be to guide her on her path to becoming a Godly woman, who knows how she is supposed to behave according to Gods word. And quite honestly, that begins with how she sees Mommy behave.

     Children often emulate how they see their parents behave. If you’re argumentative, they will be also. If you use profane language all of the time, don’t be surprised when you’re in the grocery store and they blurt out a few choice words. So, behave in a manner that will help them grow, not set them up to fail as adults. Just like a girls first love, nine times out of ten, is her father. Her first best friend is usually her mother. Be the type of friend that you would want her to interact with once she past the stage of wanting to hang around mom all of the time. Set a great example for her in how she is supposed to treat people, how she should carry herself as a lady, how to dress modestly (not saying she has to dress as a nun, but show her how to be cute but classy) and most importantly how she is to behave as a wife and mother one day, should that be what God has in store for her.  

                                “...Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior.” –Titus 2:3-6

     As mothers we have a great task placed on us, but that gives us no excuse to drop the ball, especially when it comes to raising these future mothers and nurturers. Your daughter will one day treat her children and her husband the way you treated her and how she saw you treat her father.  If her father isn’t in her life and you’re also not married, she will still see how you interact with other men in your life. Whether it’s good or bad, she will one day emulate it because she saw mommy do it, so it must be right.

     Another thing that I notice, that breaks my heart is the fact that little girls as young as four and five “hate” on other little girls their age. And where could they have learned such a behavior at such a young age? From mom. When my five year old daughter started school, the first couple of days she would come home sad saying the other little girls called her ugly and they didn’t want to be her friend. “Mean Girls” at the age of 4 is a sad, sad case. They grow up to become mean teenagers, mean women and also bullies. We should be building our daughters confidence level up so high that they should see no need of putting down on another little girl, and when they grow up, other grown women. They shouldn’t be listening to us constantly speaking ill of other women either, because they will learn to do it as well. In today’s society, a lot of men tear down the very women they should be building up. Don’t teach your daughter to do the same. Teach her to empower and show love to other women, because in this day and age we have to empower each other. A small compliment goes a long way. If you think she’s pretty, tell her. If you like her outfit, let her know. Don’t sit back clocking her and getting jealous, that breeds nothing but hate and it will eat you alive. It will even change how you view yourself.

     Help these young ladies to become confident in themselves, respectful of themselves and lovers of Christ and watch how they blossom. Once they do blossom, fighting in the streets will be beneath them, posing in front of the camera with their butts tooted up will be an uncomfortable position, putting down on other women will also leave a sour taste in their mouth. And the best way to achieve this for them, is for them to first see you do it. Be the kind of woman you would like to see her become one day.