Sixteen

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

Recently, I had another of what I call my "mom moments". In just a couple of weeks, my daughter will be sixteen. Funny, but as a mother, sixteen seems like such a large number. Wasn't she, just the other day, my little toddler?

Maybe, though, she is not so different from how I was at her age. I can remember turning sixteen and feeling so grown up. But now, in looking back, sixteen seems so young.

Blow Me Away

Ah, to relive the carefree days of youth!

I have always encouraged my daughter to be her own person. She has her own likes an dislikes. In many areas we are like night and day. We do not have to agree on fashion or music or television shows. No, instead my goal as her parent is to guide her ability to make right choices where it matters the most: faith, integrity, and honor. My maturity, what I have learned in my lifetime, is on display to help her avoid making mistakes.

I heard a statement along this vein last Sunday that really stuck with me. A preacher had turned to a young man and said, "Your grandfather's ceiling has become your floor." Wow! What the grandfather had built, the son had then built upon, and the grandson would continue to build upon.

What a great responsibility! Our lives, as parents, are here to provide the floor for the future generations to walk on. If we really want to change the world, we will do it through our children. I pray I have done my part in shaping my daughter's life and have set an example she is happy to follow.

A walk amongst the flowers

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Suzanne Williams Photography
To Read More of My Words
Florida, USA