Impacting Your Daughter for the Next Generation


by Alyssa Avant - Date: 2007-03-09 - Word Count: 1053 Share This!

Do you wish you could connect with your daughter in a meaningful, powerful way? I hope to give you inspiration, tools and ideas that will help you to do just that.

Moms, I'm sure you can remember the day you found out you were having a baby girl. Maybe it was through an ultrasound, during your pregnancy, or maybe it was on the day she was born. Either way, try to remember now how you felt, what thoughts crossed your mind. It is very important to remember how you felt that day; this can help you focus upon how special it is that you have a daughter.

God gave you a very special gift when he blessed you with a child, but he also knew that child would be a girl and he had a special plan in that as well. Your daughter was born into the specific generation she is in not by accident, but "on purpose". You have a special place in this, because you are her mother. God has give you an even greater responsibility "to train a child in the way she should go." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

I know you want to do this and more. We all want the very best for our children, we all want to not only prepare them for their future, but also inspire them to take their place in their generation, and to find their purpose in life, God wants them to be set apart for "such a time as this" in their lives. Esther 4:14 (NIV)

One of the first keys to impacting your daughter is by setting an example for her. She needs a faithful example of a Godly woman to help her to become one herself. No on in her life can ensure that she has that example more than you, her mother can. Your faithful example will help her to leave a legacy of faith. Show her a proper relationship with Christ, by modeling it for her. Do you have a regular daily quiet time and if so does she know it? I know a lady who does have a daily quiet time, alone in her room, each morning. She told me the story of her little boy discovering this one day. She would inform him every day that she was going up to her room for "her time" and would make sure that he was occupied while she would be gone and then she'd head upstairs. She never realized that he wondered what she did during "her time", until one day, she saw him sneaking up the stairs, and peeking in on her room. That day she realized he was curious and even more that he needed to know what she was doing. Therefore, she began to share with him. Now, years later, the boy is a teenager, and every morning after breakfast she says she's heading up for 'her time" and he says, "I'll be in my room doing "my time". She has modeled this time alone with God for him and now he makes it part of his life as well.

Having a daily quiet time is just one of the ways that you can model for your daughter how to have a relationship with Christ. Making Christ apart of your home and your everyday routine is another way. How many times is Jesus mentioned in your home each day? Does your family share a meal together and bless that meal with a prayer of thanksgiving before you eat? I realize this sounds like something very small, but can make a huge impact on your life. Verbally mentioning the name of God can do so much for your children.

Prayer is such a valuable tool in connecting with God and with your daughter as well. Through prayer, you can fuse the relationship you have with your daughter, and have a permanent bond that no one can take away. I heard a speaker at a parent-youth conference last February who gave such an amazing example of the connecting between a parent and a teen.

He used the example of the connection between a parent and a teen or child as being a "heart connection". The idea was that as parents we have a connection with our children that we can visualize as being a pipeline from our heart to theirs. The pipe is connected when we are turned towards each other and in good relationship with each other. However, this connection can easily be broken, when your child goes out into the world their pipeline is susceptible to others and other people can then try and connect with your daughter or child. These people include anyone who has an influence upon her. Who influences your daughter? Think about it, it could possibly be a teacher, coach, youth leader, friend, and boyfriend. The list could go on and on. It is your job as a parent to ensure that your daughters pipeline is only connected to you and to God. This is the strongest influence upon their life. Because we know that "where their treasure is there their heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 (NIV) you want them to treasure their relationship with you enough for it to be their main heart connection, outside their relationship with God.

How do you ensure that this be the case? This all begins at home, when your daughter arrives home from school, if you are there do you immediately greet her and ask her about her day, sit down, listen and connect with her. Listening is very powerful, your daughter when just coming in from the day at school will be full of information to share about her life, her friends, and her activities. If she is not opening up and sharing with you, encourage her to but never force it, just be there and willing to listen.

My own mom was always there to listen, offer advice when I needed it, or seal her lips when she knew I didn't want to hear it. These things helped me to become the person I am today and I hope that I will be able to do the same with my own daughter. I know no matter what I'll impact her in some way. I pray that both you and I impact our daughters for the good of the next generation.


Related Tags: time, relationship, influence, mother, purpose, daughter, generation, connection, meaningful

Alyssa Avant is a Christian Author and Speaker who helps moms connect with their daughters. A WAHM, Alyssa is the founder of Beauty By Design Ministries, http://www.beautybydesignonline.com Receive a free "My Princess: A Letter from a King", a letter from God to your daughter when you sign up for my e-zine. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mom-daughter_connection/

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