Cheers to 26!
Raising this girl was so easy when she was little. A rule follower by nature, she didn’t push the limits much but I could always see how strong she was underneath the surface. She definitely had a little fight in that heart of hers, especially if she was passionate about something. Music, drawing and writing were all things she loved. As she became a teen she still didn’t rock the boat much and was fairly easy from the day to day parenting aspect but the hard part of parenting was just beginning really.
Guiding our kids when they are young through all those wrongs and rights of the world; the dos and don’ts, sharing moral values, all of those things are the easy parts of parenting. You wanna know when it gets hard? When you start seeing this bright, beautiful child you raise make decisions that you fear are going to break their heart. And you know what is even harder? Knowing that you have to kind of keep your mouth shut and let them experience it all for themselves. ALL of it! The crappy boyfriends, the damaged friendships, the anxiety of life are all a necessary part of growing up. Keeping my mouth shut is not always a gift I have but when you are dealing with an adult it really does become more of a situation when you only give advice when asked.
And you know what else you do? You pray….alot! The past two years I’ve seen this girl go through some of her biggest struggles. I wanted to help and I felt so helpless so many times as no matter what words I offered they were not enough! So I prayed for her in a lot of ways but mostly I prayed for God to present himself in ways she could no longer pass up. It has been my greatest joy to see her turn to him!
It’s been a great year for my girl as she has traveled to Napa, New Orleans and Miami enjoying her girlfriends. She also became a mommy to her little Pesto and I think they have both worked to heal each others hearts!
She has also remembered the love of her family. Not that she really ever forgot but I do think there was a period when, for the sake of growing up, we were not really her first choice to hang with. The two of us have definitely had two big battles where we both learned something (or at least I think we did). We have all just loved having her spend so much time with us!
She also found her love for writing again! Bullet journaling won her over and as she began using it in her daily life she rekindled her passion for writing. She has even been a guest here writing Bullet Journal Feels and her latest For the Over-Thinker.
So, my sweet girl, as you turn 26 I only have one piece of advice; continue to find joy every day! Whether it is in your job, listening to live music with your friends, enjoying a run with your sweet Pesto or laying on the couch feeling lonely watching Netflix, see the joy in the moment. Embrace it, soak it up and let it all continue to fill your heart. You are beautiful inside and out and I could not be more proud to call you mine!
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4
SO beautiful! What a lovely post for her to look back on! Happy birthday jordan!!
Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter!! Such a lovely tribute to her.
xx, Elise
http://www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com
Happy birthday to your girl! She and I sound similar in some respects, so it's neat to hear from the "mom" side of things!
Happy birthday to your sweet daughter!!! I know the pain of watching them grow up and learn the ins and outs and remaining quiet. It's so hard on our mama's hearts!
Happy birthday to Jordan! I love hearing your perspective on parenting, because I know I am looking at the same road ahead with parenting teens. I always learn something from you. 🙂
Happy Birthday to Jordan! Great advice momma. Been there with both of my adult daughters.
Great post and Happy Birthday to Jordan! I'm sure you do a better job of keeping your mouth shut than I do with Stephanie. I just can't help myself! Ha! Imagine that!
Beautiful post for a beautiful girl! I struggle too with keeping my mouth shut. If only they realized we see the bigger picture, BUT I have to wonder how many times God thinks that about me as I meander through life!
I hope Jordan has a fantastic birthday and a fabulous 26th year! You're a blessed mama!
Happy birthday, Jordan! She needs to join us one night for wine so I can finally meet her!
Oh you are right! Parenting gets so hard as our kiddos become "adults" especially for those of us who struggle with keeping quiet! I have to tell you that I am trying so hard to keep from saying "I told you that!" to my college son as he tells me things his roommate has told him. He's actually listening to the advice his 18 year old roommate is giving him and acting like he's never heard it before! LOL, I am grateful because at least it is good advice and I see God working through his roommate. I guess in the end it's all good but boy I never thought parenting got harder I always thought having babies was the hard part!
I hope your daughter enjoys 26! God bless her always!
Haha…Kellyann I know this full well. It drives me crazy when I've repeated something over and over and then all of a sudden someone else gives them the same info and it all clicks! But like you…I'm good with it as long as the advice is sound. Definitely has been a shock to me how much harder it is parenting adults!
She's always up for wine and I know she would love to meet you!
It's so hard Emily!! One piece of advice my mom always gave me….she always said "Jordan is NOT you and she will not necessarily make the same decisions (ie mistakes) you did". I always have to remind myself of that sometimes.
It is definitely something that took a lot of practice but definitely makes our relationship easier.
Thank you Lauren!
Awww….thank you Tanya! I always thought once they were on their own this would be a breeze….boy was I wrong. Definitely easier in the day to day task piece of parenting but so much harder on my heart other days.
So true Kim! I'm not sure I'm ready for my littles to be grownups. 🙂
🙂 Us moms….we really do have the best of intentions Emily!
Thanks you Elisa!
Thanks Annie! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Love this post! Parenting adult children is a whole new challenge and you captured my thoughts in this post.
Thanks for linking up to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!
Thanks for hosting Penny!
"Nothing can make you feel older than having your first born begin encroaching on your mental age!" – Age is but a number though you could still pass off as your daughter's sister. Cheers to you for raising such an amazing individual.
AFU