Some of you may know, we have a 2.5 year old daughter. I'm also 5 months pregnant with another daughter! We are thankful for our children regardless of gender. (Although, I do hope one day to have a boy!) Sometimes I just feel like having girls is "wasted" on me. We live on a farm and I'm about the least girly girl I know. I was always a tomboy growing up and hated dresses, the color pink and generally preferred to do "boy" things like climb trees, play in the creek and play army.
It feels a little odd that the Lord would choose me to be the mother of two girls. Me, who always wanted ALL BOYS! I imagined myself raising boys my whole life. I don't have a clue how to french braid hair (Or do much else besides ponytails, basically), I think bows are fussy and annoying, skirts and dresses get in the way when pants are much more practical. I'm not afraid of bugs, worms, blood, poop, spiders or mud. (I do have a thing with frogs...the just give me the willies. Something about the hopping...) I have a stomach of iron and am generally very down to earth. Really, I think the Lord specially designed me to live and work on a farm...
As odd as it sounds after all that, I feel like the Lord has been preparing me my whole life to be the mother of girls. My whole life, most every big life experience I have had has been all girls. Dance, Sonic Drive-In, human ecology, fibers, I was always surrounded by almost all girls (with a few pretty cool dudes mixed in there).
I feel like all of those experiences have pointed and prepared me for raising girls of my own. I saw the actions of girls I admired and actions of other girls that I didn't. And I wonder if the Lord chose me to be a girl mom so that I would raise more girls like me. I'm not saying that I'm perfect. (Definitely not!) but I think the world needs women that are willing to work as hard or harder than any man and aren't afraid of getting a little muddy along the way. Women who aren't superficial and care only about their looks. (I rarely wear make up, don't really keep up with fashion and get my hair cut like every 2 years...Those things aren't bad, they just aren't as important me as good character) Women who love life, God's beautiful Creation and love to be in nature as much as possible. THAT'S what I want my girls to be.
I'll probably never be the mom that gets matching outfits for my girls. Or messes with bows (let's get real: how often do they leave them in longer than 5 minutes anyway?!) or has the perfect Christmas/Easter dresses planned out months in advance. My girls will probably have a bit of a wild side (maybe feral would be a more accurate description...) but I can tell you that at two and a half, my oldest loves fiercely. And she would rather be outside playing in the water of our local creek or on the river in a kayak with her mom or dad than just about anywhere else. I pray that both our girls will learn that hard work is (as their "Poppy" says) "good and good for you!" I may not have a clue what to do with girls, but I pray that the Lord would continue to guide me as their mother and help me to teach them how to be truly awesome women that are inspiring, love the Lord with all their hearts and who are deep, sincere and real people. I think that's what every mother wants for any of their kids.
-JoAnna