When I Grow Up…

When I grow up, I want to be more like my daughter. She’s only 16, but she is already a far better person than me. As a parent, you hope that you raise your children to be smart, independent, caring, successful individuals. You do the best you can, and you pray that your best is enough. Then you have to let go, sit back, and trust that you’ve done your job.

I don’t have to wait for my daughter to become an “adult” to know how she’ll turn out. Every day I spend with her, she shows me the amazing person that she’s become. Surrounded by family and friends, she’s sarcastic and quick-witted just like her mother. Around the rest of the world, she’s so much more.

My daughter believes in using good manners. She says “excuse us” more times in the grocery store than I blink. I’m often warned not to give other shoppers “the look.” I’m easily irritated, and I don’t believe in saying excuse me when someone else walks in front of me or pushes their buggy into my heels. When we go out to eat, she always chimes in with “please” after I order. She assumes I’ll forget. More often than I’d like to admit, she’d be correct. My daughter will go out of her way to open doors for people. She’ll stand in the rain and hold the door for ten people to walk into a store. When we go shopping, she carries every bag. If she notices someone needs assistance, she’ll be the first to offer help. She doesn’t have to be told to be polite. It just comes naturally to her.

My daughter has an amazing work ethic. I don’t mean just in terms of her three jobs, but in every aspect of her life. She isn’t afraid of hard work, either physical or mental. She attacks her schoolwork head on, almost always completing assignments long before they are due. When it comes to helping out around the house, she’s the first to lend a hand. If I even suggest that I’m going to cut grass, she’ll put on her shoes and race out the door to get it done. Her grandparents can count on her to lend a hand with whatever they need. How many teenage girls do you know that will go pooper-scoop a yard without even being asked? Yep, I’ve seen her do it.

I’m not gonna lie, this girl tests my nerves in ways I never thought possible. There are moments when I’m almost certain that I have completely failed as a mother. They are few and far between, but they do exist. There are moments when her attitude gets the best of me. Those are the moments when there’s absolutely no denying that she’s mine.

My baby girl is growing up and becoming the kind of woman anyone would be proud to call a friend. I’m lucky. Blessed. I get to call her my daughter too. She reminds me every day of the kind of woman that I want to be. When I grow up, I hope she’s proud of me too.

💜💚