What to expect when raising a daughter!

Hey moms and dads. I am here to tell you that raising a daughter is not easy. I am sure you already know that. From what I hear, boys have their issues too but all I know is that girls can be a handful.

Each daughter is different. One can be as calm as a cucumber and the other can be the Tasmanian devil. But one thing for sure, each daughter will have moments where they don't make any sense to you. I am no expert but I figured I would let you know what to expect when raising a daughter.

From the moment I had her, she was dramatic. She cried all the time (I never gave her a pacifier which I would totally do now). On her first birthday, she throw a fit while eating her birthday cake. She cried her eyes out on her first day of pre-school and wouldn't let go of my hand. In second grade, I got a phone call from her principal saying that she bit another girl ( which was totally out of character). When we had the family discussion about why she bit the little girl, she said that her mouth ran into the girl's arm. Yeah okay! Or the time when she pulled her hand away from my hand because it's not cool to hold your mom's hand anymore. Or when the teenager hormones start raging and all you want to do is stay out of her path.

I remember when she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was be with her momma. After a long hard day at work, she would cuddle up to me and we would both fall asleep. Or when she couldn't wait to go on a bike ride together after school.

Even though I had Victoria young in life, I always tried to live my life knowing that I had a human being watching me and looking up to me. I knew that I was the only person she saw twenty four hours a day and I needed to make the right choices in life to show her how she should go through life. Even when all she wants to do is avoid me and hang out in her room, I still need to be there to show her the path that she will need to follow to be an successful adult. I don't expect to plan her life for her but I would like to be able to guide her on this thing called life. I am here to lead by example. I drive safe to show her how to drive when the time comes, which isn't very far from now. She is testing for her permit this month AHHHHHHH!

My daughter was not the easiest kid to raise. She cried and gagged at the sight of vegetables and meat on her plate but we made her at least try each item to make her see that all food wasn't gross.That didn't work though. She is still the pickiest eater. If she could live off of mac n' cheese the rest of her life, she would be happy. It got so bad that she would go all day without eating because I told her she had to eat her peas from the night before. She is beyond STUBBORN!

I will tell you that I am lucky to have a wonderful husband that shows her how a man should treat a woman. She has a man in her life that takes good care of his family and would endlessly work to make sure that we have a roof over our heads. He is a great example for what she should except in a man.

You see friends, no matter all the hardship you go through raising your beautiful daughters, know that everything will be okay as long as you lead by example! Show your daughters that they deserve the best in the world but nothing will be handed to them. Well, some things will be handed to them but let them know anything worth having, they will have to work hard for it. Don't just get your daughter the best car on market, give her a used car like you had so that she knows that she needs to work hard to get the car she wants.

Another thing, I am glad I had my daughter when I did because iPods and Macs weren't developed yet. She learned to love long car trips and she didn't have an electronic attached to her face. She had coloring books and long conversations with family members. She helped me grocery shop and danced in the living room with me to loud music. Friends, I say this from the bottom of my heart, don't give your daughter an electronic to just keep them occupied while you are on the phone or talking to a friend. Have them join in the conversations and teach them to be active in socializing. That is the best advise I could ever give you for raising your child!

You only get this very short period of time to make an impact in your daughter's life so please make it count. Leave your phone at home and go on a walk with your child. This time will just fly by and you will wish that you spent more quality time with your daughter molding her into a strong woman. Point her into the right direction! I am no expert but through my experiences and mess ups, I know more than ever what I should have done in some situations. Love her like no other. Have tea parties and let her fall in love with nature. Teach her that life is hard and you don't always get what you want and that is okay.

So here's to raising our daughters to be the leaders of this beautiful world!