I just love the picture that's attached to this blog entry. It's a photo of my then 15-month-old daughter "reading" the Sports Illustrated magazine that featured America's newest sweetheart, baseball little league player Mo'Ne Davis, on its cover. At the tender age of 13, Mo'Ne has shown so much poise, confidence, and POWER that you just can't help but love her. What an inspiration Mo'Ne is, and what a shining example she's set for little girls across the nation and the world.
I am continuing with the theme of lessons for my baby girl. It is my prayer that I instill in her the importance of being confident and bold in spirit. I want her to pursue her passions no matter how big or small they are. I don't want her to be afraid to take risks. And ... I never want her to play the role of damsel in distress. I want her to be creative and solve her own problems without relying on others to fix them for her.
Even though she's only a toddler, my daughter already has a boldness about her that I absolutely love seeing in action. Watching her explore the world around her is fascinating. Watching her learn things on her own is so much fun to watch. She has no fear. She has learned to express her pleasure over things and also how to let me (and her father and big brother) know when she is not happy or pleased. She continues on her way or on her mission until she reaches her desired destination or result. I don't want her to lose that. As her mother, I want to do whatever I can to encourage her to be bold and daring and confident in whatever she sets her mind to do.
She will need that bold confidence to pursue her passions. Yes, Sydney is just a toddler, and she has many years of self-discovery ahead of her. But whenever she finds her niche, whenever she finds that thing or things that she will become passionate about, whenever she decides for herself what dream or dreams she wants to pursue, I want her to go after them with everything she's got. There may be obstacles and naysayers who will try to discourage her. I want her to be big, bad, and bold enough to bulldoze right through those roadblocks and right into her dreams.
Pursuing dreams may also involve having to take some risks. I want to teach her that it's okay to take risks. If the choice is between taking a risk or living with regret, then why not take the risk? I want her to know she may fail, and that's okay. Losing one battle is not losing the war if you keep going, working, and pushing yourself until you've reached your goal. Fear of failure keeps plenty of folks from achieving their dreams. I want my baby girl to keep that "no fear" resolve she already has in her right now. If you experience a defeat, get up, dust yourself off, and get back to work. One of the best feelings in the world is accomplishing something you set your heart and mind to do.
I will teach my baby girl not to play the victim or the damsel in distress. That whole victim / damsel in distress thing? Yeah, that's a really big pet peeve of mine. Admittedly, as a mother, when I see my child struggling with something, I want to swoop down and rescue them and kiss them and make things all better. My son is 10, and there have been plenty of times with him that I had to stop myself from coming into a situation and making things better or easy for him. Let me explain that. Of course, if my son or daughter is in harm's way, then you better get out of my way because I will step in to save them. But when it comes to doing their own work, when it comes to butting in and handling a problem for them that they are perfectly capable of handling on their own, then I'm going to let them do it for themselves. How will my children learn independence, problem-solving skills, or to be creative in their thinking if their Mama is always there making things right for them? They will learn their actions have consequences ... good or bad. My baby girl will not be a coddled princess. She will come to know that good old fashioned hard work and common sense can go a long way.
Geez! My list of lessons for my baby girl just keeps getting longer and longer. (lol) Stay tuned for another entry.
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