Raising daughters is not for the faint of heart. Raising children is not for the faint of heart, but many of us find ourselves in the thick of parenthood. Each season of parenting has taught me something new about myself and how much I need God daily. The two girls God entrusted to me have pushed me further than I thought I could, and I have embraced so much on this journey with them. These ten broths have come from my heart, but I am only halfway through the journey. Right now, they’re 15 and 13, with a lot of life left to go…and I’m along for the ride, growing closer to God every step of the way as I lean on Him to help me raise these beautiful girls.
1. The joy of waiting
“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be courageous and courageous. Yea, wait patiently for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 KJV
This verse has become my anthem to motherhood, especially as my daughters go through their teenage years. Alongside them, I often have to face the true definition of patience. It is the opposite of control and criticism. Motherhood tends to control choices because we want our children to avoid making painful decisions. The reality of Christ-centered parenting allows our children to choose and love them equally, whether they heed our wisdom or not. It takes patience to wait and see what they choose! It’s painful! Yes, patience is sometimes painful. Yet when we trust in the Lord, it can also be joyful to wait for what the Lord is doing in their young lives. Entrusting him with these tasks is not easy. This goes against all of our natural reactions, even though we know that God has good plans for us…and for our children. Bravery and courage aren’t words we usually associate with patience, but maybe we should! Giving up the control we really want as parents is courageous, and unconditional love takes courage.
Top photo credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/CalypsoArt
2. How to say “no”
“Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” “no.” » Matthew 5:37 KJV
Raising girls taught me the reality of Matthew 5:37! If they have the opportunity to wiggle into a maybe, my daughters will search tirelessly for a yes, as if they were removing their first baby tooth! Or they will assume a “yes,” which is a dangerous tendency that we all have to misread as a maybe. Growing up, my daughters and I spent a lot of time together while my husband worked long hours. Over the years, we even nicknamed ourselves “the three musketeers”. Our proximity made saying “no” to them even more complicated. When they are in danger as toddlers or toddlers, it’s easy to say a resounding “no.” But as they get older, the crocodile tears start to flow and cause even the most astute and wise moms to question their own “no.” I have learned to stand firm in times of “no”, even if I am not sure I am making the right decision. “Your job is to listen to me,” I told them, “if I’m wrong, God will take care of me.” »
3. Consistency
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 KJV
The Gospel of John and these words of Jesus, he recorded, have been stones of wisdom that hold the corners of my life in place. I only raised girls, so I can only speak from that perspective, but it sure seems like girls have a lot of emotions to express in life. I think as women we are constantly reigning in our astute sensitivity and empathy for the world around us and the people we have been fortunate enough to watch over. In a world full of parenting books, ever-changing methods, and psychiatric philosophies as each generation emerges a little differently, I decided early on to consistently place the author of all generations above all else. I read parenting books, listened to podcasts, and sought advice from Christ-centered sources. In conversations with other wise moms and parents who had gone and were leaving before me, I brought it all back to the Lord to ask if it was right. Soliciting their feedback was something I chose to make a priority from the start.
Photo credit “Mother with two teenage daughters kissing”: ©GettyImages/Rawpixel
4. Good habits
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as if you were working for the Lord rather than for people. » Colossians 3:23 NLT
“It’s a girl.” When I first heard those words, a cascade of emotions ran through my face. I felt so much pressure to keep him from falling into the comparison trap. I immediately had to face my own insecurities and come up with a solid plan to avoid passing them on to my daughter…soon to be two girls. Of course, there is no foolproof plan for this. Until recently, now 44 and raising two teenage daughters, I hadn’t looked at a ladder I’d been walking on since my sophomore year in high school. The day the scale passed 100, I no longer saw the point in paying attention to this number. I had witnessed the damage caused by my obsession with that number, and I had sworn to my younger self that I wouldn’t do it. Pregnant with my first daughter, I decided to stay healthy without attracting attention. I promised this sweet unborn girl that she would never hear me say anything negative about my physical appearance. We would enjoy dessert and never feel guilty about the fact that our jeans are sometimes a little too tight. As a long-distance runner, it was pretty easy to keep these promises when I was a new mom. Middle age has been a little more difficult, but now, as teenagers, my daughters are holding on. Me responsible. “Mom,” they will recall, “you said you never wanted us to worry about that kind of thing – we don’t talk like that.” The wonderful thing I’ve learned from raising daughters is the joyful results of good habits.
“Mom and daughter prepare a healthy meal in the kitchen” Photo credit: ©Getty Images/ Thana Prasongsin
5. Embrace the present
“Enthusiasm without knowledge is of no use; haste makes mistakes. » Proverbs 19:2 NLT
Rushing is a way of life in our country. Each generation seems a little more in a hurry, which makes it essential to remember what God says about accepting the present. Every year on the first day of school I cry. I’m crying because I’m excited for my girls to grow up. I’m crying because it’s happening so fast. I think back to their first days in kindergarten and I miss those little faces and twisted smiles. I cry because I am so proud of the young women they are, and I cry because I can’t wait to see what they do next. And I’ve learned to embrace those tears without sitting and swimming in them for too long. So, after crying, I call my mother, who reminds me every year to embrace the present. She tells me what a good job I’m doing as a mom, and then time passes.
Being present right now is difficult with technology. But I’ve learned that I only get one, maybe two, opportunities to listen and engage in conversation with my daughters. And in our family… there are often conversations full of jokes that I don’t want to miss! The car is often a phone-free zone because sometimes it’s the only time I have to catch up with them during the day. I have learned to embrace the present and not sit and swim in tears, conversations, excitement and nostalgia for too long, or I will miss the next gift.
Photo credit “Mom and daughter walking on a nature trail”: ©GettyImages/AzmanL
6. Don’t Worry Forward…or Backward
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s troubles are enough for today.” Matthew 6:34 NLT
Over the years, I realized that worry was about trust. Sometimes it’s a very valid trust issue, but it’s a trust issue. When I dropped my oldest off at preschool on the first day, I remember those first-day tears were unlike anything I look back on now. Those tears were scary. I was ceding total control for the first time. I walked out of that building without her to live the next three hours of her life without me there. Those tears of terror almost paralyzed me in a world full of school shootings. If I let my mind wander down that path, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out of the parking lot and walk away from school without her.
I struggled to relax for weeks while she was at school, fearing something bad would happen. When the sirens sounded outside the house, I panicked that they might be on their way to school. Every day I began to pray for their safety. And each day, as I prayed, the panic released its grip. I began to learn more about what it meant to trust God. He loves my daughters more than me and has good plans for their lives.
7. The need to pray
“Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
I would be remiss as a parent if I didn’t include the importance of prayer in the cumulative things I learned while raising my daughters. And not just because of the ever-changing rollercoaster of emotions in our home. Prayer is my lifeline. When I don’t know what to do or make a mistake, lose patience or behave badly – when they don’t talk to me about what’s going on, and when they do talk to me about what’s going on… prayer – talking to God – has lifted me up and put me back on solid ground. I have learned to pray during conversations, after conversations, and for the conversations that will take place today that will undoubtedly catch me off guard. I pray that God will give me perspective, that He will see them as He sees them, and that He will impart His wisdom and love to them through me. I need to pray all day. Never stopping praying seemed unrealistic until the doctor handed me these little girls…one at a time…two years apart. And I don’t think I’ve stopped praying since!
Photo credit “Little girl praying next to her mother with the Bible”: ©GettyImages/Sasiistock
8. Point of view
“For, ‘Who can know the thoughts of the LORD? Who knows enough to teach him?’ But we understand these things, because we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT
The thought of Christ means remembering him and surrendering to his point of view. The way Christ sees things in this world is not the way we naturally are. freed. This is why He told us to remain in Him. Fortunately, we are never alone in this life, a perspective I now appreciate – especially in raising our daughters. We can feel alone and isolated when we let our “no” become “no” and cling to prayer for the patience to wait for our children to take their next steps. It has been so important for me to remember what Jesus would do, like the old bracelets (which are now the new ones again) that my friends and high school friends wore. WWJD, they declared proudly. What would be Jesus does it? This is a valid and practical question that I have learned to ask as a parent of two teenage daughters! It keeps me from making rash decisions and saying things that I will regret if I remember to consult the old popular saying. The spirit of Christ adopts a Christ-centered perspective of life and humbly submits to His way and mine. Which, as a mother, is not always so simple! Especially when my daughters push all my buttons!
9. Humility
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you in honor. » – James 4:10 NLT
Humility can have such a weak connotation if we let how society defines it guide our opinions. Humbling ourselves before the Lord is the wisest course of action we can take daily. “Well, I ruined everything, didn’t I?” is a constant topic of conversation in daily prayer with God about my parenting skills. It’s hard. I’ve read a ton of books, followed a ton of Bible studies, and listened to all kinds of insightful parenting podcasts…but I still get it wrong all the time. I’m starting to think that all the resources exist so that we know when we’ve missed things! God knows we can’t be parents alone. He knows that we cannot always live life the right way, even if that is our intention. We have a sin to deal with. And our children too. My daughters are sinners too. So in a house full of sinners it gets complicated sometimes. But when we are all willing to humble ourselves before the Lord and let Him take the lead, we walk through calamity without our burning clothes.
Photo credit “Mom and daughter talking on the bed”: © iStock/Getty Images Plus/Ivan Pantic
10. Dependence on God
“For the word of God lives and has power. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joints and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Anyone who has tried to communicate with their teenage daughter knows the desire to take what is formulating in our minds and the best places of our hearts and simply put it into words that will come out of our mouths, laced with the perfect emotional tone attached to them. Everything is mud. Misunderstood, poorly expressed and misplaced. Very often, emotions, ego and insecurity hijack conversations. Raising daughters had especially taught me to depend on God. Long before they were teenagers, I would lock myself in the bathroom for five minutes just to read a devotional on Jesus Calling. I remember being amazed at how much wisdom and help God could pack into a simple paragraph and five minutes in the bathroom. He honors our desire to seek Him, and that time for me has become early morning. Consistently, almost every morning (not perfectly), I sit at my desk with a little dim light, depending on God’s Word to uplift me, encourage me, teach me, and prepare me for the challenge of getting my kids to school in the morning…and beyond. It’s my favorite time of the day. I depend on this time spent with God. Raising daughters taught me the importance of depending on God.
Raising daughters is something I will do until the Lord calls me home. No matter how old they are, I will always be a little older. And even though their need for me will change, God is faithful to guide me into the next season of my role in raising girls. He taught me a lot throughout my motherhood, one day at a time. I am sure that the rest of my days will be filled with no less from our great God.
Photo credit “Mom and daughter kiss”: ©GettyImages/LSOphoto
Originally published on Thursday February 5, 2026.
