Mothering a Daughter

It's true. Mothering a daughter is vastly different from mothering sons. Not better or worse, just different.

I always wanted a relationship with my only daughter to be much like mine with my own mother, only the best of it and none of the negatives. I'm not sure I could've scripted this any better myself. First off, what more could I ever have asked for in a daughter? She is wise, courageous, witty, and beautiful. And best of all she loves God and chases after Him with gusto. I couldn't have scripted her better.

Our relationship is so far beyond what I could have dreamed up. We talk, we get along, and we work through any differences that come up with minimal hurt feelings. She is open with me and has always been willing to share her heart and her thoughts and her MySpace password with me. She is an open book, but then she is like that in many respects with everyone. What you see with Rosie is what you get. No drama, no pretenses, nothing fake. Just the real Rosie, all the time. Being someone who prizes realness in a person, I totally dig that about her.

Rosie is everyone's friend, but not everyone is hers. That is familiar to me--the story of my life, actually. She is kind to everyone (even those who don't deserve it), but bonded to few. She has a patience about her that is hard to describe; I've seen her hang in there dealing with obnoxious people many times well beyond the call of duty. If it pays off, she smiles and gives God the credit. If it doesn't, she shrugs and grins, gives Him the credit anyway, and moves on. I'm pretty sure most people don't realize how blessed they are to have her in their lives.

I know this is going to come across as me just bragging on my kid, and I'm okay with that. I wish more parents bragged on their kids in public forums. I am proud of ALL of my kids and I don't mind saying so. God knit each of them together quite nicely, in my opinion. I am blessed to say my daughter is one of my best friends, right along with my husband (my very best friend for most of my life) and all four of my sons.

With each milestone my beautiful girl reaches, I thank God for the gift of being able to walk with her through it and watch her shine His light all over the place. The current milestone is no different, and I have every confidence that God is...well...all up in it. I really like that.