Advice for My 6-year-old Daughter, For the Teen Years and Beyond

For some reason, today I felt just a little extra whimsical while watching my daughter.  Like many mothers, I’m sure, I catch glimpses of her older self throughout the course of the day, and today -for a fleeting split second- I saw my little girl all grown up.  I’ve already shared my wishlist for her, but here is my collective little nuggets of advice for my daughter.

Advice for My 6-year-old Daughter,
for the Teen Years and Beyond

Don’t be a mean girl.  Ever.  But don’t be mean back to the mean girls – how else will they learn kindness if it’s not extended to them?

Love yourself, on the inside and the outside.  Treat your body with respect now, and it will thank you in kind as you get older.  Learn now how to take care of your whole self.

Be kind but firm.

Don’t settle, especially for a guy.  You’ll know you’ve found The One by two things: how he treats his mother, and that you can live without him, but choose not to.

Find a way to laugh everyday.  There’s humor in the world all around you, you’ve just got to find it.

Step outside of the box.  Get outside your comfort zone.  You’ll never know what all you’re fully capable of doing unless you try.  And who knows where these new-found passions may lead you!

Listen carefully to that little voice you have.  Your gut instinct may be hard to explain, especially in a scientific situation, but always listen to it.  It could very well save your life one day.

You don’t have to be friends with everyone you meet.  You don’t even have to like everyone you meet; but you should treat everyone you meet with the same level of respect and kindness you would like for others to show your grandmother.

It’s not always about the finished product.  Sometimes you’ll learn much more in the process than from the product.

It’s ok to go against the grain.  It may be tough, and downright lonely, to not do what all your peers are doing.  However, don’t give in to the mob mentality.  Sometimes it takes a single sole to stand alone and do what’s right.

The one person who will always be at your side in life is not your parents, although we do hope to see as MUCH of your life as we can, nor is it your friends or your spouse.  It’s your brother.  From cradle to grave, you will always be with each other, so always keep each other close at heart, and continue to give REASON to stay in one another’s life, even if you live hours away.

Sometimes the most beautiful hearts come packaged plain.  Look beyond the glitter and glitz for real substance, and there you will find what is truly beautiful.

See as much of the world as you can, not through a screen, but in real life.  Plant your feet on new soil as much as you can.  Your soul will thank you.

Learn how to sew.  Learn how to cook basic meals.  Learn how to change a tire (and then teach me please!).  Learn to mow the lawn.  Learn how to balance your finances.  Learn as much as you can to live your life with self-sufficiency, not because you’ll always need to do those things on your own, but so you can confidently do so, should the need arise.

Speak up for the little guy.

Live below your means.  Just because you could afford that fancy new Thneed, doesn’t necessarily mean you need it.  Buying stuff won’t make you happy – it will only lead to your need to buy more stuff, an ever-ending cycle of looking for that Thing that will make you happy.  Things don’t make you happy, my dear.

Along those same lines, learn the thrill of the hunt while shopping second-hand.  There’s always a story behind each piece, and it’s nice to know you’re extending the life of something that still has life to live, your keeping things out of the already overcrowded landfills, and your decreasing the production of excess – all at rock bottom prices!

Invest in your financial future now.  Start saving for your retirement and start building your emergency fund as soon as you start getting a paycheck.  You’ll thank me later.

Ask questions.  How else will you learn?

Read.  Read every day, no matter what.  Read from a real-life actual book: feel the pages turn between your fingers, breath in the scent of a newly bound book (or a well-loved copy), experience the slight thrill and occasional letdown of flipping to the last few pages to see what happens.

Give.  Give of your time and your talent.  Give what you no longer need, so that others can live.  Give, even when you’re uncertain you have any more to give.  Your heart knows no bounds.

Let the people in your life know you love them, whether it be by words or by gestures, just do it and do it often.  You never know when you’ll last see a loved one.

And, finally: God knows what’s in your heart.  God knows what your intentions are.  Always make Him proud.