Things I Want My Daughter to Know Before She’s a Teen

February 25, 2020 27 Comments

Parenting is a lifelong journey of learning and making hard choices. These are the things I want my daughter to know before she becomes a teenager.

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Before becoming a mom, I had a million ideas of the type of mom I would be.

Strict about eating dinner. Making sure her hair was done perfectly every day. A zero-tolerance for bribery in the store– haha, the joke’s on me.

Becoming a mom flipped my world upside down, along with all of my expectations for myself and my child.

And then, having a second child flipped it all around again. They are polar opposites and my parenting style has had to adapt to that.

Every parent and child is different. And every parent has a different set of guiding morals. Some children grow up in a religious home and others grow up without spirituality.

Some families sit at a table every night for dinner. And others sit and watch TV during dinner, or go out to eat more often than not.

Some parents believe in tough love and others believe a child should never be punished.

As a parent, that’s your prerogative. All of us just want to give our children the best life and future we possibly can. And we are doing the best we can to accomplish that.

I’m not a parenting expert.

But, at the end of the day, I know that there are things I want my daughter to know as truth and believe in completely before she becomes a teenager.

30 Things I Want My Daughter to Know Before She’s a Teen

1. You can always crawl into bed with me when you are scared or feel alone. There is no age limit.
2. All people deserve respect.
3. Respect yourself.
4. You can say no to people when you feel uncomfortable or like a situation isn’t right; even adults.
5. Have meaningful conversations face-to-face. Seeing someone’s face and hearing the tone in their voice is so important.
6. I am your parent first and your friend second.
7. That being said, I am also your confidant. You can come to me with anything without fear of judgment.
8. I always want to help.
9. When I push you, it’s because I see your potential and I want you to reach it.
10. I will always and forever worry about you. Please call and check-in, just for my peace of mind.

11. Wear what makes you feel confident and comfortable. Dress for you, not anyone else.
12. When it comes to friends, it’s quality over quantity.
13. My past is far from perfect, and I’m not ashamed to share that with you.
14. Don’t hide from your mistakes; learn from them.
15. You can always come home. You are safe to completely yourself here.
16. Eat the cake. Life is so short. Don’t pass up enjoying life.
17. If you don’t choose the college path, I will support you in whatever direction you want to go.
18. Don’t half-ass anything. Always use your whole ass.
19. Forgive. Not just others, but yourself.
20. Hug often. Hugs release stress and make you feel safe.
21. Take criticism with a grain of salt. Everyone will have an opinion about you; you get to choose which ones to respond to.
22. Take time for yourself every day. Get in the habit of it early on and stick with it for life.

23. Playing the comparison game is always a losing situation. Focus on your strengths and being the best version of yourself.
24. Say sorry when you’re wrong. But don’t say it unless you mean it.
25. Don’t let failure keep you down. Discover how to turn your failures into motivation and drive to push harder.
26. Don’t be too serious. Find humor in the situation. Laugh and make others laugh.
27. Recognize when you are being peer pressured and then make your choice on your own.
28. I know more than you think I know.
29. Your looks will fade someday. Focus on improving your health and your mental well-being. Those will last much longer.
30. Find out the facts before you speak about another person. No one likes drama or gossip.

Conclusion

I love thinking about my children’s future. Granted, I’m not wishing it comes quickly, but I’m always daydreaming about my girls as young adult women.

And I like to think about the things I want them to remember. The things that they will someday tell their partner “my parents always reminded me…”

Again, I don’t think I have it all right. Do any of us, really? My end goal is to raise young women who are confident in who they are, stand strong in what they believe in, and leave a positive impact on each person they meet.

I’m super curious about what life lessons you want your daughter to take with her as she grows up. Let me know in the comments or come join the conversation on Facebook.

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