I’ll never forget how I felt when I found out I was pregnant with a baby girl.

My mind instantly filled with images of pink tutus and hair bows. I could already see the perfectly decorated nursery in my mind.

But only moments after, a whole new feeling entered my heart: I could feel the intense responsibility being placed on my shoulders. I could already feel her potential and how big of a job it was to help her achieve it. At the same time, I felt grateful to God for this gift, and totally terrified of messing it up.

Raising a girl means something different now than it ever has, probably in all of history. Never have women been able to make such a difference in their homes, workplaces, and communities. Women can unapologetically live their dreams, and while there is still much room for improvement, today is a great day to be a woman.

God knows this, and he has entrusted us with an incredible job to raise daughters who will contribute to this world in wonderful ways. Although the world is constantly changing, what He expects of his daughters has never been a secret.

He wants us to raise Godlike women, who, like the book of Proverbs describes, dresses herself with strength and opens her mouth with wisdom; opens her hands to the poor and reaches out to the needy; and who is far more precious than jewels. 

I’m not quite sure about how to prepare for such a huge responsibility, but I do know how I want my daughter to feel, and who I want to help her become.

I want to teach her to love fiercely. I want her to never feel the need to compete with another person or to wear her skin like an apology. I want her to know she is lovely—but that she is also much more than that. She is powerful, she is good.

She has every right to respect, love, and kindness even when the world may tell her those are things to be earned. I want her to embrace being a girl and help redefine what being female looks like in the future.

God wants these things for my daughter as well, and I’m positive it starts with me.

It starts with the mother.

If I want my daughter to feel comfortable in her own skin, I need to show her a woman who does as well.

If I want my daughter to know she can be anything she wants to be, I have to show her a woman who chases her dreams and never justifies giving less than her best.

If I want to raise a Godlike woman, I have to be one myself.

Being a girl mom is a huge opportunity, and it’s hard to know where to start. But I’m certain it starts somewhere inside our own hearts. The hearts of the mothers. Before we can teach our daughters to be who we want them to be, we have to show them moms who can do the same thing. We have to be the kind of women we want them to be.

So mama, check yourself. Do you want your daughter to be like you? Do you feel confident in your abilities and your potential? Do you love fiercely? If not, start there. I know that I am cleansing from the inside out to be able to be more like the woman I want my daughter to be. And I hope she can look up to her parents knowing that in their imperfections and weaknesses, they are still worth looking up to.

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