My baby is 20! There is nothing that pulls at my mama heartstrings more tightly than seeing my baby girl literally transform from a teenager to a 20-year-old young adult. I could not be more proud of the woman she is becoming. This sweet, kind, and considerate mini-me is my best girlfriend-
What a blessing she is to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 20 things I’ve learned along the way, in no specific order<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Tea parties are the best! little girl tea parties turn into the best mommy-
   daughter coffee dates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
2. Hug often. Minimum of 10 daily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
3. A soft answer and a listening ear go a long way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
4. Humility and a genuine apology are key to having a close relationship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
5. If you wake up in the middle of the night, go into your kid’s room and pray over them. Cover them in prayer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
6. Consistently and constantly point your kids in the direction of the cross.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
7. Emphasize the importance of developing a close relationship with Christ more than any other relationship in their life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
8. Affirm your daughter often. Remind her daily of whom God says she is<\/li>\n\n\n\n
9. Stress the importance of her valuing herself. Remind her that her mind and her body belong to her Lord, not a boy\/man.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
10. Teach her never to lower her standards or compromise her morals for anyone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
11. In disagreements, remind her that you are not her enemy and that you love her. Never go to bed upset or without talking it out.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
12. Crawl in bed with her and hold her until the tears stop. Then dry her eyes, and remind her of her great worth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
13. Remain very involved in everything. Know every friend, and have access to everything (cell phone, passwords, social media passwords, etc.) I trust her but not others. In my home, it was not until she was 17 that I stopped being knee-deep up in it!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
14. Do not compromise, even if she doesn’t understand; you be the parent and be ok with not being liked, the nice guy, or very cool in her eyes for the moment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
15. Carve out time each week for mommy-daughter time. Let her talk about anything in unguided conversations. You actively listen- always make her feel like you are seeking to understand and that you care. A walk in the park, shopping, or a television series. Movie or go for a drive in the car. Time together, just talking and listening, is more valuable than you can ever imagine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
16. Pray with her often. Devotional time together and time reading together are priceless.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
17. Teach her to love & respect herself and to be more concerned with her inward beauty than her external appearance. When she knows and understands this and truly knows and values who she is, she will never need the affirmation and approval of boys.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
18. Teach her the importance of carrying herself like a lady. A confident, well-spoken, and poised lady demands respect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
19. Look others in the eyes when speaking to them. Always give a firm handshake. Stand and sit up straight. Walk with your toes pointed forward. Always wear lip gloss, and don’t go out of the house looking a hot mess. shower multiple times if necessary-smell great always! Always wear earrings and three pieces of jewelry. Dress stylish and trendy but always keep it classy. Have very open and candid conversations about EVERYTHING about the opposite sex- what you don’t tell her, she’ll learn from another source-you, be her teacher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
20. Ask questions. Be interested in everything she is interested in. Laugh often, play together, cuddle and be available. Be patient, and remember, being best friends for life is the ultimate goal!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    My baby is 20! There is nothing that pulls at my mama heartstrings more tightly than seeing my baby girl literally transform from a teenager to a 20-year-old young adult. I could not be more… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n