15 Things All Moms With Little Girls Must Do

Being the mommy of a little girl (or two, in my case) is so rewarding. Aside from the adorable headbands with oversized flowers and the sparkly shoes I wish I could get away with at 9 am on a Monday morning, seeing those bright blue eyes light up when they see me in the morning, feeling those little arms around my neck and knowing that their innocence is up to me to preserve is a good feeling. That’s why I like to remember that there are a few good rules when it comes to being the mommy of little girls. Read on to find out my favorite 15 rules for being the mommy of little girls.

Let Her Experiment

So you don’t want her to destroy your $30 designer lipstick; do it anyway. Let her get into your makeup and draw all over her sweet little face, even if you think she’s too young and you don’t want to encourage her to wear makeup and cover up her natural beauty. She wants to be like you; she won’t feel like this forever so let her experiment with being you and then let her go back to being herself after bath time.

Let Her Go Crazy

Let her fall madly and crazily in love with Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake or those twin boys from the Disney channel show about the boat. Let her tell you she’s going to grow up and get tattoos and drive a motorcycle and own a bar. Let her go crazy with her dreams and her aspirations, because she’s going to change her mind a hundred times a day between now and the day she actually decides she wants to get some tattoos and own a bar. You can worry about that then.

Be There

Cheer her on as she walks across the stage at her preschool graduation and at her first cheerleading practice. Go to all her softball games and cheer the loudest at her track meets. Just be there for her. Your encouragement is the best gift you can give her.

Let Her Be Herself

Don’t try to get her to play with a doll if she’d rather play with daddy’s tools. Let her be herself; her sweet, magical, wonderful self.

Teach Independence

Teach her to take care of herself, think for herself and stand up for herself. Be a good example of an independent woman and teach her how to enjoy the same lifestyle.

Ignore the Mess

If she wants to go outside and make mud pies – on her head – let her. It’s nothing a bath can’t take care of. This innocence of getting dirty without care and having fun is way more important than the five extra minutes it’s going to take you to wash her hair tonight.

Be a Good Role Model

Be a woman who lives with compassion, treats others with respect, takes responsibility for her mistakes and enjoys life to the fullest. This is a good example for your daughter to have.

Be Affectionate

Little girls need love. They’re just natural little lovers, so hug her. Hold her. Kiss her. Tickle her.

Believe

If she thinks she can grow up to become a princess, tell her she absolutely can. If she wants to grow up and become a firefighter, tell her you think that’s a wonderful idea. Make it a point to actually believe in her and her abilities so that she can actually do whatever it is she wants in life.

Tell Her She’s Beautiful

Tell her she’s beautiful when she’s dirty and messy, when she’s clean and pristine, when she’s sick, when she wakes up in the morning, that she has a beautiful personality and that her laugh is beautiful. Tell her she’s beautiful.

Love and Respect Your Spouse

When you love and respect one another you teach your daughter not only what to expect out of a healthy relationship, but how men and women should expect to be treated. It’s a good way to teach her how she should treat her future husband.

Let the Magic Happen

Whether you build a magical fort in the living room with pillows and blankets and chairs or take her outside at night to look for fairies – or lightning bugs as we call them in the south. Let there be magic in her life. It cultivates her creativity and her imagination, which make her a much more awesome little girl.

Read

Encourage her love of reading by reading to her. Let her read to you. Read together. Share books. Create your own book club. Your daughter’s love of literature will make her a more well-rounded, intelligent, interesting person.

Encourage Art

Turn up the music and sing as loudly as possible. Dance to it. Make up cool moves and have cool dance parties at home. Do it. It’s fun; and your daughter will remember this forever.

Teach Manners

Your daughter will use her manners for the rest of her life. Teach her to say “please” and “thank you”, to address people by the appropriate title and all the proper etiquette she will need in life.