All About Girls
August 17, 2022
Gena Suarez
Your Daughter Is Watching You
Deborah Wuehler
Every Girl Is Uniquely Made by God
Beth Mora
It’s a Girl!
Tracy Klicka
Raising Girls with Grit and Grace
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Hey, Mama!
Your Daughter Is Watching You
Hey Mama,
Remember when you were a little girl? Everything was an adventure. There were treasures to discover, new places to play, and interesting friends to meet. You didn’t know what “adult stress” even was, or that it was a thing. At least I hope you didn’t. Because the “mama stress”—or the daily grind—we now face on an ongoing basis was generally reserved for our own mothers or other caretakers. For the most part, we were carefree and wide-eyed about whatever new, unfamiliar experience was coming next. We could not wait to embrace it!
The years flew by. Perhaps the biggest, most exciting adventures of all were becoming a bride, then a mother. Oh, how you dreamed about this wonderful season for so long. Much of your child play revolved around this future world, where you now would be the Mama, where you could bake a whole tray of brownies and eat them all, if you wanted! You would not need permission to go outside and climb a tree. You could dress your future baby the way you wanted and could even name him or her. If you were like me, you wrote lists of names for your future babies. Daisy and Karina were my favorites for future girl babies, although I never did use those. Funny how things change. But as a child: Dream, dream, dream.
Now the adventure seems to be missing. Days run together. Babies spit up and scream. There is SNOT. Friends fall away. You squabble with your husband and suffer disappointments from extended family or church. Surely you know better than to make a tray of brownies and gobble up the whole thing. Or. . . ? Maybe just one tray. It’s just day-to-day living, ensuring dinner is hot and on the table, the schooling completed for the day. Children may be fussing, but there’s a smile for your hardworking husband when he comes home from work. Life sets in.
Just a friendly reminder, Mama. Your daughter is watching. Right now, she dreams of being a Mama someday. She makes lists. Her prince is coming, and she can’t wait! Life for her is so exciting. And she’s always observing her greatest role model—you.
No pressure! Just a hint to keep in mind as you go about your day: Mix it up a little. Be spontaneous. Laugh your head off. Show her that life as a mommy is fun. Not perfect—you don’t have to pretend to be what you’re not. But remember how you once were, so ready to face the world with great gusto and specific plans? One day, when she is the age you are now, your conversations will be different: “Mama, thank you for keeping it real. And thank you for letting me look forward to this great calling the Lord has given us.” Motherhood. She gets it.
God bless you, Mama, as you walk graciously and confidently throughout your day, with His hand ever on your head. He is your refuge, and That of your children, too.
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge” Proverbs 14:26.
-gena
P.S. Here’s some feminine wisdom from some fellow homeschoolers at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine:
Homeschooling Our Two Giggly Girls by Stefanie Smith
Confessions of a Crunchy-Romantic Farm Girl by Lisa Sharpe
Character & Virtue: Modesty Inside and Out by Karen Andreola
Mercy Every Minute
Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor
Every Girl Is Uniquely Made by God
One of my daughters would rather shoot and cook a squirrel over a campfire and tan the hide, than wear a dress and fix her hair. We must not look down on our daughters that don’t fit some kind of preconceived “homeschool girl” mold.
I have three beautiful daughters. Not one of them is like the other. Each learned differently, and each had to be taught differently than the others. One loves music, birds, and exotic praying mantises. One loves apologetics and debate and babies. One loves horses, crochet, and anything outdoors or working with her hands. There is nothing cookie cutter about homeschooled girls.
I just graduated the third this year who is pursuing equines and agriculture. Her older sister is pursuing a life of music (cello) and art, and the oldest of the three is a full-time pro-life missionary. Each is uniquely fashioned by God with a one-of-a-kind divinely purposed design.
When they were younger (and even now!) I reminded myself that these young girls will be the voice of womanhood for the future. These young ladies may be wives, young mothers, and homeschooling moms someday—and more importantly, servants of God. What am I doing now to prepare them for that great adventure? My own attitude, example, and words will be a model for their future and will be the “mother voice” in their head as they leave our home.
Instead of bowing down to the world’s philosophy of girls being “the princess” to be catered to, we teach them that a true daughter of the King of Kings bows down before Him and serves others, not self. We also want to guard them against misplaced affections by showing them how to place their whole affection on the only One who can truly satisfy a girl’s heart. How do we teach this? She needs to see us placing our own full affection and devotion on our God. She needs to see that our first love is Christ, and that all other relational love stems from that.
These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine reinforce that:
Raising Real Men and God’s Girls with Scripture and Living Books by Meredith Curtis
Purity, Peer Pressure and Parenting by Laura Genn
Future Fathers and Grown-Up Ladies by Denise Mira
The main purpose of our training our girls is that the Word of God will not be blasphemed which means “to be evil spoken of.” To see a young girl learning to be a sober, loving, discreet, keeper at home is to see the Word of God praised rather than be spoken evil of. This, therefore, helps to bring to fruition our desire that the world might see the glory of God in His little princesses.
May your daughters follow you as you follow Christ and as you keep them Home. Where They Belong.
“The aged women likewise . . . that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” Titus 2:3-5.
Beth Mora
It’s a Girl!
It’s a girl! As I write, my fifth grandchild and fourth granddaughter made her debut earth-side, and I am over the moon! So today, when society asks, “What is a woman?” it’s time to pause and chat about girls and their unique characteristics.
Who is she, and how do we raise God’s beautiful daughters?
She is creative.
God created women to be creative beings, making all things better. Help her identify and discover her gifts and talents.
She is a lover of home.
Deep down in her XX DNA, she fiercely holds a love of family that peaks when she meets her husband and has children. You may not see it in the early years, but it’s there. Help her learn every aspect of being a homemaker.
She works.
Proverbs 31 shows us a woman engaged in business. Do not neglect your daughter’s career development. There are no careers off-limits to girls.
She is a friend.
Support her friendships with other girls. Squelch petty hurt feelings, and teach her to avoid gossip.
She is smart.
Prepare her for college: I’m not saying that every girl needs to go to college, or for that matter, every boy. However, give her a college prep education. High academic achievement keeps the doors of opportunity open.
She has emotions.
Positive social movements have emerged because women’s emotions moved them to community action and service. In contrast, emotions such as anger, jealousy, and fear can wreak havoc on a girl’s life. Helping your young lady sort through these emotions without discrediting her feelings requires listening and applying God’s Word with truth and grace.
She longs for her Creator.
Disciple her for the mission field. Whether it’s an overseas mission post, a ministry at church, or her family, she needs to know what it means to follow Jesus and understand His holy words.
We have a duty to raise our daughters to be warriors and champions of their homes, devoted disciples and servants in the body of Christ, and a blessing to their communities. So today, more than ever, we need to celebrate, equip, and encourage the next generation of girls.
About the author
Beth Mora, creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program (grades 1-6) and homeschool conference and women’s events speaker, loves to blog at Home to Home. She serves up HTHL’s Writing Tip of the Week for those teaching their kiddos to write. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart gripping, is done to honor One. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.
Tracy Klicka
Pillar of Hope
Tracy Klicka – Raising Girls with Grit and Grace
Remember the nursery rhyme about what little girls are made of, “sugar and spice, and everything nice?” The accompanying illustration was of a little girl in Victorian dress holding a baby doll, which perhaps fits many little girls still today—minus the Victorian dress I imagine.
However, the women in my family come from a long line of tomboys—we climbed trees, put worms on fishing hooks ourselves, and preferred outdoor adventures to sitting indoors learning how to sew or knit.
Want to raise a girl that is both Godly and strong? Let her learn it all! Sewing and knitting are good, and so are rock climbing, shooting a gun, and starting a business!
Undeniably, giving her Jesus and God’s Word are the best foundation we can give our daughter. A gracious, Godly woman can make a huge impact for good in the world for God’s glory.
And giving your daughter opportunities to learn a variety of skills will equip her to be confident, wholly strong, and a blessing to those around her. She’ll be a girl with Grit and Grace, which happens to be a great book you can share with her. Check it out!
About the author
Tracy Klicka, widow of former HSLDA attorney Christopher Klicka, is a homeschooling mom of seven adult children. Seasoned homeschooler and gifted writer/speaker for over 22 years, Tracy has addressed thousands at homeschooling conventions and women’s events, contributed to Christianity Today, regularly writes for national homeschool publications, and contributed to her late husband’s homeschooling books. She serves as the Director of Development for HSLDA, through which their Compassion Program helps families homeschooling through hard times.
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Contest Corner
for the month of August
His Vessel Algebra I Textbook
His Vessel Textbooks
http://www.hisvesseltextbooks.com/
At first sight, the His Vessel Algebra I textbook is like any other math book, except that it quotes 1 Corinthians 3:16 (“You are God’s holy vessel”) and says “biblically-based math” on the cover. But when you dive into the content, you will find Bible truths sprinkled throughout the book.
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