Warning: I’m not lumping all girls together, but from talking with friends, there are a lot of similarities among girls.
Why do most people want a daughter? Daughters are so easy to handle… There are so many fun things to do with a daughter…
Shopping for her clothes is a pleasure! I’m not complaining—I have one at home, along with a little boy. Do parents realize what they’re getting themselves into with a girl? I’ll admit it, a little girl is super cute! There’s no shortage of options for dressing her up, and you can turn her into your own cute little doll. I’ll just say this: enjoy it while she’s young, because a girl knows exactly what she wants to wear—and it’s not always what you think looks good.
Don’t forget that we go crazy as soon as she has long hair so we can do beautiful hairstyles. We try all sorts of techniques to tie up her hair so it stays in place all day. We want to impress everyone—or maybe we just don’t want lice in the house!
(PLEASE) We pamper our little princess. We teach her to be a well-liked, strong, generous, and empathetic person. We don’t want her to be just like us—or we want her to be better than we were at her age. We aspire to great things for her! But she’ll succeed in becoming whoever she wants to be! That’s the beauty of each person—their personality. We might have a girl who’s more of a “tomboy” or has a strong personality. We bite our nails at first, but we console ourselves with the thought that later on, she’ll be running a company and no guy will be able to control her. I’m sure of it, so be patient!
That’s early childhood as I’ve just described it. Don’t let that discourage you just yet. I’m getting to the heart of the matter: pre-adolescence! You have no idea what’s in store for you. Over time, your little lady will go through some changes. Everyone knows about the physical changes (breasts, periods, body hair), but I want to warn you about the emotional ones.
Around age 10, our dear young ladies experience mood swings. One day, they’re sad over nothing; an hour later, they’re snapping at us. You’re left wondering, “What did I say?” or “What’s the problem?” They struggle to control their emotions. Yep! Hormones have started doing their thing. I can tell you it’s intense. Your daughter has a never-ending PMS, and the worst part is that her period won’t come any sooner! I’ve surveyed parents of young preteens, and unfortunately, that’s the reality.
My advice is to arm yourself with incredible patience, listen to her, and support her. Losing your temper won’t help—it’ll just make things worse! I’ve tried it myself, and the verdict is: the atmosphere didn’t get any better! According to my survey, once her period gets going, her mood will stabilize, and we’ll only have to deal with it once a month (PMS). Hallelujah!
I don’t want to discourage you from having a daughter. I’d love to tell you about adolescence, but thank goodness, I haven’t had to deal with it yet. However, I can assure you that I adore my daughter—I’m learning so much from raising her. I’ve realized that I, too, must not have been easy to deal with during my pre-teen years. So, I’m preparing her brother and our home for this transition!
by Caroline Tremblay