The woman I am raising

A few weeks ago I saw the following quote on facebook and it really spoke to me, not only as a woman but also as a mommy.

It is so hard to think that I am in fact raising a woman.  While today she is my 3 year old firecracker, she is growing every day.  In the blink of an eye I will look at her and see a woman instead of my bubbly, giggling little girl.  I will admit that even typing that brought a tear to my eyes.  I look down and I have a sticker on my hand that she put there before school this morning.  I can hear her saying "mommy cuddle me" this morning.  So, yes it does make me sad to think that those days will come to an end and my little girl will one day go off and face the world as a woman.

I can't change the fact that she is growing up, but I can change how I approach her growing up.  I can sit back and be in tears or jump in and enjoy the ride.  I have loved every stage she has gone through up to and including this point in her life.  However, there is still a part of me that misses her being the baby that I rocked to sleep.  I can never get those days back, but guess what I can't get this morning back either.  I can take the extra minute tonight and tomorrow to cuddle her, but it isn't the same cuddle as I had this morning.

This morning I ran across the following article.  While I do not like some of the language in the article the message is very clear.  What do we praise more about our children their looks or their inner beauty?  I always try to tell Emma how smart she is, how nice she is, how helpful she is, but do we as parents do that enough?  Sadly when most women have low self-esteem it says that we do not do it enough. 

https://www.romper.com/p/what-happened-when-i-stopped-complimenting-my-daughters-appearance-3876?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=partnerships&utm_campaign=TheStir

I hope that you take the time to recognize all of the beauty of your child.  How do you make it a point to let your child know that they are smart, helpful, and wonderfully made?

Let's join together for more laughs and giggles.

Of course a day as a mommy isn't always laughs and giggles, but we need to take the time to add laughs and giggles to our day.  Not only do we need it, but our children also need it.  We can be rushed in the mornings, then they go off to school, then they come home to a stressed mommy and daddy.  They are just happy to see us and while we are happy to see them we often let life get in the way.  We are worried about homework, dinner, bath, bed, and forget to just stop and spend time with our children. 

While we do have to focus on homework, dinner, bath, and getting ready for tomorrow we also need to focus on enjoying our children.  Why not ask them to help you make dinner, or while dinner cooks take a moment to dance, or sing in the kitchen?  We have to show our children that they are important, not just tell them that they are.   Do you tell your child they are important, and more importantly do you show them that they are important?

I am not saying that I am the perfect mommy, I know I am far from it.  However, we all have to realize that our children will not always be the age they are now.  Emma isn't the cuddling baby any more, but I need to take advantage of the times that she does want to cuddle. 

Please don't take this as I am perfect and you need to be more like me.  I believe that all parents, and humans in general, can learn from each other.  If you have a parenting tip please share it with me, if you have a way to involve my child in every day things that I need to do, please tell me.  To me this isn't a competition of who is the better parent, but a way for all of us to become better parents.  Our children are facing an ever changing world that isn't the same as when we grew up, so we need to approach the world differently. 

There are many topics that as parents we have to face that are not laughs and giggles, and I believe it is better to face them together.  As women we often become judgmental of other women and mommies.  "Oh why did she do that?" "Why is she, or her child wearing that?" "Why did she just talk to her child that way?" However, we often do not think to stop and offer her.  I try to offer help, but also try to remember to ask for advice.

What parenting tip would you like to share with me, or wished had been shared with you sooner?