9/1/2015
I took this pic in Ireland in a random parking lot – the cutest!
I was speaking to a Mama friend the other day and she was briefly venting about her 13 year old, argumentative daughter.
I really respect this mom; she is smart, funny and beautiful. It is obvious to probably everyone else, that her daughter is a chip off the old block.
So of course, I didn’t hold back and quickly assessed the situation: “You are both shepherds. Do you expect her to act like a sheeple?” (The ironic thing is that her daughter is actually the person that taught me and Avery the term, sheeple. I’m not sure if she made it up but I have adopted it as one of my “go to -isms”, as many of you know I like to do:).
Of course, the Mama friend laughed and sloughed it off and the conversation ended there but I have been thinking about it since.
As moms, I believe we are all the shepherds of our households but what happens when our daughters begin displaying “shepherd-like” behavior themselves and it makes our lives effing difficult?!?
I think it is important to ask yourself this question, “What do I want for my girl? Do I want her to be a leader or a follower; a shepherd or a sheeple?”
When she is faced with hard decisions during the teenage years that involve peer pressure, drugs, alcohol and pressure from boys, do you want her to follow the herd or to exude confidence and leadership energy?
I choose to support her as she trains to join me as a member of the fierce and fearless Shero Mama tribe.
Right now, that may look like her arguing with me… just because. Or telling me that she HATES the dress I bought for her.
She may seek many avenues to exert her shepherd-ness and the renouncement of mine. Sometimes her independent mind is inconvenient for me and sometimes, I feel sad that my agreeable little girl has been replaced with an extremely opinionated imposter. But mostly, I feel pride that she is exercising her shepherd muscles.
I believe it is a dance that can result in my daughter stepping into her new role as “(S.I.T.) shepherd-in-training” where she prepares and practices to be the shepherd for her own children one day.
I believe that is the ultimate assignment for all of us Shero Mama Shepherds; to gracefully usher our daughters into their own shepherd-ness so we can pass down the torch and support them as they become the leaders of tomorrow in their homes and lives and possibly the world.
