Things I Want My Teenage Daughter to Know

I have a wonderful little princess who is only 2 years old but I wonder what she will grow up to be like. Am I doing things right to set her on the right path? I look back to my own upbringing and reflect on my teenage years and feel so sorry for my poor mother.

If I ever had to go through the stuff that I put her through, I would have a heart attack. I want her to grow up and still be able to communicate with me openly about what is going on in her life. I don’t want to be shut out when there are issues or problems that she is facing.

While I know teens hold their friends in high regard, I hope to be right along up there in a supportive manner. I too was a teenager, a long time ago, but I remember it all. The puberty, braces, acne, the shyness, and awkwardness around boys. There are 5 things that I want to tell my teenage girl.

1. Be yourself

Don’t try to fit in with the crowd, don’t try to change yourself so others will like. Just be you. You will hate yourself when you discover that those people are not your true friends, and you’ll realize that if they were, they would like you for who you are.

2. Your appearance does matter like it or not

If someone dresses like a duck, they may or may not be a duck.  However, a duck is the first thought that comes to mind. If someone dresses provocatively, what is the first thought that will come to mind? The way you dress gives people their first impression of you which you can only do once. If you don’t want to gawked at then don’t give boys a reason to. It’s about the message that you want to send to others, how do you want to be treated? Then dress accordingly.

3. Forget drama

You will go through problems that may seem like it is the end of the world. But if you stop to take a breath, have a snack, a shower or a nap. Afterwards, you will find that it is not the end of the world. Gossiping won’t get you anywhere and will only cause pain to you or those who you are talking about. Which brings me to my next point.

4. Surround yourself with like-minded people

Great friends can last a lifetime, however, if you don’t want to be surrounded by drama then you need to surround yourself with people who feel the same way as you. You can’t say I don’t want to something but then have a close friend doing exactly those things that you vowed not to do.

5. I will always be here

I remember getting into trouble and thinking what in the world would my mother think of me. I want my daughter to know no matter how big her problems are that I will always be here to comfort and support her no matter the problems she goes through. Sometimes we don’t realize how much they still need to hear I love you once they are older, but I think it’s something we’ll always continue to do even when they’re out of the cute baby phase.

What do you want the teenage girls in your life to know? What advice would you pass on. I know my toddler is still quite a ways off from her teenage years, but I’ll be so sad once we get out of this cute baby phase and grows into a full fledge adult. I think her father will take it the hardest.

In Enough: 10 Things We Should Be Telling Teenage Girls, Kate Connor, addresses a lot of issues that teenage girls need to hear. I like the way she writes, it’s very straight to the point and witty. It’s a quick, easy to read book that keeps you engaged because as a mother who was formerly a teenager, I wished someone had told me some of those things a long time ago.

Kate writes about what girls should know about their bodies and their image, relationships, emotions, social media and giving your teenage girls a higher purpose. When teenagers are left idle they get themselves into trouble. If you can help them find a goal, hobby or direct them to a passion that they can work towards, you will only help them.