My Year of Adventure ~ Week # 5
Raising a Strong Young Woman
This past weekend was an unusual parenting adventure for me. My 16-year-old daughter asked me if I would take her and a friend to the Women’s March on Saturday. I hadn’t heard about the march and didn’t really know what it was. But, when my 16 year old asks me to do something with her and a friend – I say yes!
After reading about the march, I honestly wasn’t really sure what to expect. But, my daughter wanted to do this, so we were doing it!
Parenting is guiding, but it’s also listening and learning from our children. My daughter felt passionately enough about this to want to make her voice heard – her 16-year-old voice! So, this time it was my turn to listen and let her spread her wings.
The girls making their signs for the march.
It was a really an interesting adventure to be surrounded by hundreds of people, all on their own path, but joining together for a brief time. It reminded me of an orchestra coming together, made up of musicians and instruments that usually don’t play together. But, for this moment in time, they all came together and made beautiful music!
Young & old, male & female, straight & gay, citizen & immigrant…a lot of voices!
Parenting Adventures
While the march was obviously political, I really didn’t “get” just how much that was true until later when I got home and saw it all over social media. The march brought out strong feelings and opinions from pretty much everyone! I was very hesitant to even share this today, but chose to, because it was an adventure I had with my daughter. And, for 2017 I have challenged myself to experience new things and to share them – being accountable. I feel strongly about living my life intentionally, sharing my love for reading, travel and my family. So, for this week, My Year of Adventure included a peaceful, political march.
This was my shirt for the march! READING ROCKS!
Again, here’s why I marched ~ my daughter asked me to! My beautiful, brilliant daughter is finding her voice and wanted to experience this, so I let her. The next generation needs to figure out where they stand on the important issues in our country. They are our future! It is always an adventure to watch our children grow into young men and women. It is always an adventure to watch them spread their wings. I want to have deep conversations with my children as they wrestle with tough issues! This, my friends, is the adventure of parenting!
These young women are why I marched. The next generation needs to be able to find their voice!
The next generation needs to figure out their voice and know how to use it. I’m grateful that I am allowed the privilege of helping my children find their voices!
Lessons Learned
- Parenting isn’t for sissies!
- Listening to others’ opinions is showing kindness
- Stepping outside our comfort zone is growth, and sometimes growth is hard!
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This is a great post. I love it when teens are active like this working for their own belief. How lovely that your daughter make time to show you what they are doing. That is very nice and sweet of her. She is a very confident at her age. Thank you for sharing this .
I love hearing about teens working toward developing their own belief systems. It’s so important for us to participate and learn long before we can vote.
It’s fabulous that your daughter took your hand to show you, and not the other way around this time. My daughter is 13 and she’s very confident and loves to share her secrets with me and I can’t wait for the next level like this one. It touched me.
I’m finding that my daughter is making me a braver person. Which is curious because I never really thought of myself as timid. Thanks for the kind comment!
Good Morning! Wonderful Mom! I too am learning every day and love to research different points of view with my children. There is no reason to live in an echo chamber in this day and age. Cheers to you!
“It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it. “ — Jacob Bronowski
Thanks so much Patsy! It’s really interesting and exciting when kids start developing their own opinions 🙂 I love it!