Take a Look in the Mirror

Examine the personality of the mother, who is the medium through which the primitive infant transforms herself into a socialized human being. - Beata Rank

As I scurried around in the morning trying to get ready for work, my seven year old daughter looked at me with interest and said “You work so hard mama and I love you. When I get bigger, I’ll want to be strong like you.” Her words of encouragement at 7:40AM in the morning brought tears to my eyes. Children do notice everything. Whether you rise in the morning to do something with your life or you lie in bed and watch daytime soap operas all day – they are watching and they are learning from you.

Having been divorced now for seven years, I often wondered why the good Lord didn’t bless me with any sons. I think I know why – I wouldn’t know what to do with them! I strongly believe the greatest role model for any child is the same sex parent. I think as a woman, I can teach my daughters how to be the best women they can be. But how do we teach our daughters to aspire for greatness if we are not quite up to par ourselves?

One wise man once said that ‘it’s not what we give to our children that matters, but what we put inside of them’. I sometimes take a trip down memory lane with regards to my upbringing and find myself breaking out in a cold sweat. One thing I am absolutely sure about is that I never want my daughters to have the same struggles that I did.

Luckily, I had some great role models and God became a big part of my existence such that most of the things I had experienced that will ordinarily have sent me in the wrong direction, God miraculously turned around for my good. My mother was very instrumental in instilling in me a great work ethic and the strength to persevere. As I watched my mother struggle through life to raise us children, I picked up great values such as faith, resiliency, and strength of character and I want exactly the same values ingrained into my daughters.

Using what I have learnt from my mother and other role models over the years, I understand that as mothers of daughters, we have a huge responsibility. We want to raise our daughters to have immeasurable self love, be confident, capable, loving, strong and soft all at the same time. It is not an easy job but is one that we have been blessed with.

If you a mother of daughter(s) take a look in the mirror - what do you see? What are you modelling? Are you trying to preach values you find hard to practice? Do you have the philosophy that reads “Do as I say not as I do?”