My 6 Daughters "Start over" at age 9

Things I’d tell my 9 year old daughters


I’ve learned some things about life, eternal families, and raising girls over the past 68 years . Here are some thoughts for my daughters . I can close my eyes and think of each of them as if they were all 9 years old again and we could "start over".

To my girls:




1. You are at least ten times prettier than you think you are.
Find a picture of yourself at around age 9 and you will agree. You are unique and precious.

2.Confidence. Fake it till you make it.
If you don’t have it yet, pretend you do. In every new situation, pretend you’re not nervous, pretend you’re not afraid. After a few times doing this, the pretend part disappears."Fake it till you make it" is a part of starting over!

3. You are all different - you came with different talents than your sisters. And, your greatest role is that of being a family member - a daughter, aunt, sister, and especially a mother. You all have different talents - Julie Leigh - leadership, being a mother and humor, Laura Beth - loyalty, resolve, and family , Petrea -perserverance and play, Angie - overcoming and spirituality, Tatia Belle - charity, curiosity and intelligence, Kelly Jo - music, service, and love.


4. Go for YOUR goals. Want to try something new like painting, skiing, mothering, running your own business? Go to the library and borrow ten different books on the subject. Skim through them all, find the ones that have the most vital information and study them. Then see number 2.

5. No matter how old you get, remember what it was like to be that nine-year old girl.
Remember the feeling of freedom. If you’ve already forgotten, do a cartwheel. You can so still do one. Go for it. Wake up with it every day. You’ll stay young until the day you die.

6.Keep thinkin' on the good thoughts.
In the movie "The Edge" Anthony Hopkins is stranded in the Alaska wilderness. He sums up his philosophy for overcoming challenges with this: "Most people when lost die of shame. They focus on blaming themselves for getting into the situation and on what might have been. This kind of attitude leads to failure and blocks creativity. What they should be doing is THINKING!" This is great advice. When you are in a bad situation - remember to think your way out of it. WHAT IS THE NEXT BEST ACTION STEP? Stand guard at the door to your mind. Right Thinking includes praying, visualizing positive outcomes, good books, writing your goals and plans, great music and friends with inspiring ideas.

7. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing


8. Remember an old GUY who thinks of you often and asks you to forgive . . . especially for not saying I'm sorry so many times. I am sorry for the times I let you down. No excuses. If my dream comes true - I would start over with each of you at age 9. I promise I would use what I know now to give you a better father. But, for now - live the life that that 9 year old dreamed of.

Your Pop

I may add to this later.