Some Really Important Things That I Hope To Teach My Daughter...and Then A Couple Other Things

 Now that Lucy is entering into toddler hood and is being able to understand and communicate more I started thinking about what I want to teach her and what I want her to know. It will be a process that I'm sure takes more then her 18 years with us to learn everything that I hope to share with her. This is a lifetime task but one that I truly look forward to with all my heart.

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Choose your girlfriends like you would a pair of shoes. Quality always wins out and keeps
you from hurting later in life. 

Be the friend that you would like to have and guard each others hearts.

Never choose a guy over a girlfriend. A good girlfriend will be with you much longer then a crush ever will.

Take school seriously, but take your imagination even more seriously. The world already has answers to logical questions, but it doesn’t have your answers. Smart is good, being creative is great.

Believe in the good of other people, even if they prove it wrong you will be better off for choosing good. 

Don’t swear or cuss. Being pretty is more then your outwards appearance, it is also how you present yourself.

Be motivated but don’t become too focused on being competitive. Focus on doing a good job, not about being better then others.

Keep baking soda in your fridge, tissues in your purse and an extra pair of comfy shoes in your car when you go out wearing high heels.

Tearing others down to make them seem small will never make you bigger then them.

Invest in what matters, your friends, your family and your faith.

People will forget what you say and what you do but they will always remember how you make them feel

Believe in yourself, believe in God, believe in the good in people and the power of mascara.

Almost all the answers about life can be explained with Steel Magnolias. I’m willing to watch it with you as many times as needed to learn those lessons.

The Girl Scouts got it right. Always leave a place better then the way you found it and make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold. Hang on to the gold ones.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Mistakes happen. Laugh at yourself.

Read lots of books. I recommend ones by Ann L. Martin, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Roald Dahl and Dr. Seuss.


You are always welcome at home. No matter what you do, you can always come home. My arms and the front door are always going to be open to you.

Disney movies are like cookies, they are really yummy but should not be what you base your life (or diet) around.

With that said, cookies can fix a whole lot of problems. Unless you ask your dad and he will tell you that ice cream can do the same thing.

There might be a time when your faith in God doesn’t seem all that important to you. That is ok, you will always be important to Him. You can always find your way back to God.

Saying sorry first doesn't make you weak. It means you care more about the other person then you do about being right.

It's okay to cry. Crying is great therapy. Happy tears are ok too. Invest in lots of tissues, you are my daughter after all.

PMS is not an excuse to act out. It is only an excuse to wear sweatpants and eat chocolate.

Always dress nice when you go to church. The way you dress reflects your attitude and church is the time to be respectful.

You are never too old to say please and thank you, to believe in the magic of Christmas, to go on It’s a Small World at Disney World and to need your mom.

No number will ever define you. Not the scale, the size of your clothes, your grade point average or the money in your bank account.

Put your computer and your phone down and go outside. Look up at the sky. Look all around. This is the real world.


If you can’t say it out loud you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

Driving is a privilege, you are not entitled to it. You must earn it by being responsible.

You can cheer for any team you want. Except the Bears. And the Vikings. And the Yankees. And especially the Cardinals. You might want to check with your dad about the rest of that list.

Always remember to pray. Even when you don’t think God is listening. Some of the greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

Always celebrate your birthday. You are special and always worth celebrating. Age doesn’t matter. You get old or you die trying.

You can’t control others, this includes making them happy. All you can control is how you react. Choose to be happy.

Good girls aren’t nerdy or boring. They call their mom every Sunday and make it a priority to help other people.

I will always be your mom and you will always be my baby. Always.

I will always have time to talk to you about what you are feeling. And yes, I can bring cookies.