Raising my daughter like my mom raised me.

I’ve been the mother of a daughter for just over a year and have had a lot of time to contemplate while rocking my little girl at night.

It’s been one of the most angelic times of my life.

(Eden playing on her favorite toy - a $5.00 rocking horse I found at a garage sale)

Me . . . with this angel; hair like blonde feathers, white porcelain skin, the face of a little doll and I would do anything for her.

Everyday, I strive to be better because I’m the mother of Eden.

Having a daughter makes me look at the world differently.
Having a daughter has made me realize what a scary place the world really is.  There are so many things to protect her from.

I see injustices thrown at woman; the sexual put-downs, the expectations of body and appearance, the unrealistic ideals of what beauty is (to name a few) and I pray, as a mother of a daughter, I can not just protect her from these experiences, but I can raise her to rise above them.

I see my mom almost everyday.

She’s amazing.

Last week, when I wasn’t expecting her, she walked into my kitchen . . .

And I was taken back.

My mother.

She’s beautiful.

I looked at her as a person, not just as my mother and I saw this beautiful woman whom I’m privileged to spend so much of my life with.

And to think this woman, my mother, loves me the way I love my new baby daughter made me stand a little taller.

I just never realized.

It took having a daughter to see how my own mother must see me; how she must love me like nothing else in the world.
How she wants all my dreams to come true, she wants me to slow down and get more sleep and she wants to make sure I'm taking time for myself.

When I’m sick or feeling down, I call my mom.

She usually brings me something homeopathic.

Like tea or vitamins.

She introduced me to apple cider vinegar, a natural supplement that kicks my chronic bronchial asthma before it turns into phenomena.

She checks up on me.

She prays for me.
She worries about me.

She’s always right there when I need her.

And the best part is when I do the slightest thing that's somewhat neat or even minimal; like make cookies for a neighbor or French braid my hair or reach out to a family member who’s struggling or write a blog, she thinks I’m amazing. 

My mom is constantly handing me compliments; sincere, heartfelt words that build me up until I’m floating.

The older I get, the more I realize how important relationships are and that my parents won’t be there forever.

Today and forever is my day to cherish them.

If my mom loves me like I love Eden, why would I ever doubt myself, think I’m not good enough or let others intimidate me?

I don’t fully grasp the magnitude of it, but I’m starting to understand a mother's love.