Wow… Where do I begin? Let’s start off by showing you the video of my son breaking into his smash cake that held the surprise (to everyone, including me) about the gender of our baby due in August…
Ok, besides us scaring the heck out of him by reacting the way we did [I knew this would happen but in the moment forgot to remind happy party-goers to holster their screams].. he is now his happy self again. Oh, and it’s a GIRL!!!!
It’s amazing the intense moment that led up to us discovering the pink cake under the thickest frosting ever. Funny back story.. the cake almost melted and revealed itself so we had to stick it back in the fridge until the moment of the smashing.. which meant for way too much suspense.
I’ll admit, had it been a boy, I don’t think as many thoughts would have raced through my mind. I mean.. I just raised a boy for a year and I would know exactly what to do.. plus I would have just imagined them playing sports together and being best buds, but now I’ll be raising a girl.. and beyond raising a girl, I need to ready my heart to raise a woman.
In the world that we live in today, I feel raising a girl brings a world of responsibility onto my shoulders. I pray to raise a wholesome girl.. a girl who won’t be mainstreamed into thinking she needs to look or feel a certain way in order to get attention or portray herself different than she is. Maybe I’m just nervous because I am a woman and I feel and understand what it’s like in today’s society and fear that she may give in to temptations.
Driving home from church one Sunday a few months ago, I was already experiencing the responsibility of raising children as I thought of how to teach them to grow in faith and to be humble, hospitable, have integrity and a loving compassionate heart along with so many other qualities of character any parent can dream of for their child, but why now that I’m blessed with a baby girl do I feel the weight has doubled?
I write this today not to cry for pity or to ask for encouraging words but as a statement to say, if you have experienced these thoughts, you are clearly not alone. Raising children is a world of responsibility and I’m so blessed to have it. I am extremely excited to have a little girl and especially for my husband to experience that bond beyond all measure. I can’t wait to learn and grow with my children but that creeping thought that I have one shot at it has a tendency to loom above me. My prayers as a mother are for guidance, stability and to run my cup so full that it spills out onto my children so they know nothing else but the grace of God.
“Keep doing the good work of motherhood. Don’t grow weary. Motherhood matters.” -Karen Ehman
-Essentially a Mom of a Soon to Be Baby Girl
Essentially a Mom 
Brittany,
Beautiful piece. Love the video. Follow Gods example and your children will follow the one you set for them. The one thing I know for sure is that your children are always watching you. They learn everything from you. It is hard always setting the perfect example. It is hard being the parent that has rules and does not follow the mainstream thinking. It is hard making the unpopular choice. The journey is long and it is exhausting. I can tell you that when they grow up and look back they will thank you for setting a good example and they will thank you for helping them stay out of trouble (even though they did not like it at the time). i felt a lot of the same things that you are feeling right now. Boys too have many temptations from their peers and what they see on television and in sport figures. It too is a daunting challenge to raise a son to be a gentleman in a world that wants him to be a womanizer. It is hard dealing with other adults whom only want them to be winners and not a good friend or teammate. Coaches who are bullies, teacher who are bullies. The world is a lot harder than it used to be. It is hard dealing with all the things that come at our children from society and social media. The only thing I can tell you is to stay strong and stand up for your children. They deserved to keep their innocents as long as they can. A lot of praying helps along the way and is a source of renewal and strength. I loved watching Maverick celebrate his birthday and i am very excited for you and Nick to be having a girl. Congrats 🙂 Love and miss seeing all of you.
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Thank you so much 🙂
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