Advice to anyone raising a daughter..

Advice to anyone raising a daughter..

I was shocked not long ago to learn that more and more women are leaving their children to pursue what makes them "happy." More fathers are raising daughters than ever before. Since I spent quite a bit of time at the Hendrickson High School clinic, I was also saddened to see how many girls come in pregnant.

If you are a man raising a daughter. Don't speak to or about women like we are a piece of meat. Treat women the way you'd want a man to treat your daughter. Otherwise, she will think it is okay to be used like a piece of meat.

Don't dress her in provocative wear. Teach her that her tatas go inside her clothes not spilling outside. But if you break your neck to notice every busty half dressed woman, she will want to dress that way, too. This includes those ridiculous underwear commercials. Change the channel.  If you are a mama, she will follow your example regardless of what you say. So, you dress how you want her to dress at age 11,12,13.... Remember that your granddaughters will one day learn from the foundation you have started.

Take her to church. Even if you believe in nothing. Don't rob her of the opportunity to hear the voice of the King of the universe. His voice will lead, protect, and guide her in ways you never can.

Teach her to honor and respect others. Teach her to serve and not expect to be paid for every good deed. Otherwise, she will not know how to expect it herself and will grow up an entitled prima dona .

Make her do hard work. Don't let her grow up helpless and dependent. Yet, help her notice the men worth noticing. Not those that seduce her with pretty words, but men willing to work hard, too. Men of faith that won't leave her stranded when life gets hard. Men that will change her tire and pay for dinner even though she can do both herself.

Help her to recognize that her beauty lies in her dignity and kindness, not in the pages of a magazine. Don't buy those magazines. Help her to focus on others and spend less time in the mirror.

Teach her to not to settle for friendships that drag her down. It is better to be lonely for a while then be influenced by bad company.

Help her to handle her emotions early in life; otherwise, she will always struggle with keeping them in reign. Teach her that pain is unavoidable but not worth wallowing in. This is where a strong faith in God will save her.

Let her talk. Otherwise, she will wonder why she isn't important. Help her learn to converse well with others by asking her thought provoking questions.

Buy her books. Lots and lots of books and encourage her to read. Encourage her to write. It's far better to spend time learning than in idleness.

Teach her to cook. Don't ever tell her there are men jobs and women jobs. Chivalry should never be dead, but the days of women working ourselves to death while husbands rest on the lazy-boy are over. It's going to take two people giving it their all or better to remain single.

Help her to make vows carefully. If all she sees are broken promises, she will learn to break promises.

Teach her to fail. Learning to ask for forgiveness is a good thing. Teach her to walk with her head high and if anyone ever makes her feel like she has to stare at the floor; teach her to run from that one!

Help her to recognize her God given talents and find her God given purpose. Help her to pursue that with a passion and all the other things she dreams about will fall into place.

Teach her to pray.

I am praying for parents that will raise up godly daughters because one day my son will need an honorable wife.

Non-Custodial Parents

Non-custodial parents, 

 Your children don't understand when you make excuses not to see them. They are confused when you are too busy for them, but have time to volunteer, attend bible studies, go to Vegas, and spend countless hours on your side business. They don't want to go to Vegas, but they have never been on a family vacation. They don't get why you visit YOUR family and don't take them. They'd love to have aunts and uncles and cousins, too. It makes no sense to them when you have no money to buy them dinner and yet have money for big screen tv's and out of town conferences. When you promise to come every Friday and only show up every couple of months, they don't get that you may have hurt feelings concerning their other parent. To them its about them.

When you ignore their calls and text messages, they start to hate you. Their hate is the only thing that helps them endure the hurt. Then they hate themselves for hating you.

They see your rejection as a statement that something is wrong and not good enough about them. They grow up with a part of themselves broken and hurting.

You put the other parent in a position where they don't want to lie, but they don't want to put you down either. They deal with the children's anger and hurt and hopelessness.

Is it that difficult to give an hour or two of your week to children you claim to love? You are hurting your children in ways that may be impossible to heal. You hurt God as well. This isn't His will for your kids.

Their stepparent tries hard to fill the void and he is doing a great job, but they still wonder where are you. They feel guilty because they invite their stepparent to their performances at school before you. They know he will come. They know you normally do not. And even though its normal for them to attach to someone who keeps his word, they feel like they betray you. Its you who has betrayed them.

We pray for you and we also wonder how its so easy for you to turn your back on these kids. We pray God will soften the hardness of your heart towards them.

We hope you will change your ways while the children are still willing to receive you. You are pursuing so many other things hard. And you may reap great success and personal happiness in those endeavors. The sacrifice of your children is a very high price to pay. Have you counted the cost?