Daughters Are a Gift of Love

One thing I appreciate about my daughters growing older is the opportunity to talk to them and share with them on a deeper level. It is my hope that they will always feel comfortable opening their hearts and their worlds to us. The complicated emotions of adolescence are closer than we would wish, and every so often a day hits when we think they've already arrived! I often find myself explaining to an exasperated Daddy that despite how much a particular daughter has tried his patience and pushed his buttons, what she still needs is for him to hold her and tell her that he loves her. At the same time, I find myself having to be reminded to stop and listen and take the time to enjoy these fleeting moments of their childhood.

The day these pictures were taken the girls had dressed up in their finest and asked to have a tea party in the living room. As you can see, the "pickings were slim" as far as the dining went (hot dog rolls and leftover chocolate Easter eggs) but they couldn't have been happier. "Do you want to join us, Mommy?" they asked. I hate to admit it, but my first reaction was to want to say no. There were so many other things I could think of doing. But somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered reading another mom's blog post that had struck a chord with me, something about taking the time to enter her daughter's world and play with her. I snapped these pictures so I would remember how excited my girls were when I said yes. They were so thrilled just to have the opportunity to serve me.

It won't be long before they may want their parties with friends instead of with Mommy. How can I waste these moments? So I am trying to be more intentional with Eva and Isabel, planning girl days and special times just for the three of us. On our last day out we went to McDonald's (a rare treat these days) and worked on our mother-daughter devotional books, then went out for big scoops of ice cream and to pick up a few craft items from the grocery store. Their happiness makes it all worthwhile.

All that to say, today I am surprising Eva and Isabel with an extra-special girl's day out! After all, "Daughters are a gift of love."