I was talking with my Mom the other day after our recent visit “home”. While there, the children had written their names on Mom’s memo board. She loves it and has promised anyone who erases it a painful death!! But she said she had to look twice at my daughter’s name to decide who had actually written it. Sara, my 7 year old daughter’s handwriting looked just like mine. I hadn’t really realized it but Mom was right. It was almost exactly the way I write—the same curve to the letters, the same spacing and size. This little thing got me thinking about what else my daughter and I have in common and how else have I influenced her.
At times I look at Sara and feel I’m looking into a mirror. It’s a good feeling. She loves music and singing, just like me. Sara is good at math, just like me. She has fair skin and freckles across her nose, just like me. She has stick straight hair, just like me. At other times I see the darker side of me. Sara is impatient and volatile, just like me. She is quick to anger, just like me.
But in many ways Sara is not like me at all. She is shy but still more outgoing than I was as a child. She is reserved at first but makes friends easily. Sara hesitates to try new things but with encouragement, she will participate and in the end excel. I was always a loner but she is a joiner and needs others around her. She loves roller coasters while I’m terrified of them. I see behaviors in her that “I” would like to have. In many ways, she is like me…..but better.
As mothers, it’s our responsibility to model behavior for our daughters, and sons for that matter. I’m pleased to see my positive influence on my daughter. However, it is very difficult to see my negative influences in her. Our goals, then, must be to recognize our opportunities to improve ourselves and to model only positive attributes for our children. In the end, I hope and pray Sara is just like me.
This post was submitted to the Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival being hosted by Real Life.
11 comments:
I think about this a lot, because my oldest looks like me, and in a lot of ways acts like me. Sometimes God uses her to highlight a part of my personality I need to work on.
Thanks for entering the carnival.
My daughter is like me too, but oh so so much better.
"Like me . . .but better." I love that!
It's one of life's mysteries that I can look at both my mother and my daughters and see myself. This is a beautiful post!
~TaunaLen
Jen - What a sweet post! Thanks for making my heart smile today : )
I could really relate to this.
Thank you to everyone!! I hope that I can grow along with my daughter so we both can be better people.
Thanks also to the new faces for visiting. I hope you'll want to come back every now and then. :)
I love the ephemeral flashes of myself and loved ones in the faces of my little girls, as well as in their actions. It is magical, as was this glimpse into yours. Handwriting is such a powerful thing and so enduring, lucky you.
I can relate to this wonderful post. My mom, me and my 4 year old look alike and have similar personality traits, but in His grace my daughter has some extras in the strength department I'm grateful for.
I think that our role as parents is to raise our children to be like us but better. We want them to have our good qualities and not our faults. To see this in your daughter is a sure sign that you're doing something right.
Nice entry to the mother/daughter carnival.
Kim @ TheBitterBall
Thank you for all the kind words!!
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