Last year, my friend Cindi McMenamin sent out a Facebook call for mothers and daughters willing to fill out a survey for her upcoming book.
Annemarie, then 21, and I both thought it sounded like fun, so we volunteered.
Answering Cindi’s questions gave me opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on my relationships with my mother and my daughter.
And as Annemarie and I compared notes after returning our surveys, we were each in for some surprises and valuable insights about the other.
With Cindi’s permission, I’m listing the questions she asked in her survey below. Some of them lend themselves well to prayerful pondering. Others could make great conversation starters over the Christmas dinner table!
About Your Mom:
- What did you need most from a Mom while growing up?
- How did your Mother meet or fail to meet those expectations in your life?
- As an adult, what aspect of your relationship with your Mom do you value the most today?
- What did your Mom do with you that you want to imitate with your own daughter (or children)? (discipline/ communication/ activities/traditions, etc.)
- What positive aspects of her mothering make up who you are today as a woman and as a Mom?
- What do you feel your Mom could’ve done better? (Include the age you were at the time, if possible)
- What one or two things do you believe your Mom did really well?
About Your Daughter:
- Describe your relationship with your daughter today.
- What do you feel you have done well when it comes to raising your daughter?
- What do you feel you didn’t do well as a Mom?
- How did you take an interest in her world? How do you still do that today?
- How did you build her up when she was young? How do you do that today?
- What are the boundaries you’ve learned to respect now that she’s a wife and mother?
- In hindsight, what is the best advice would you could give to a Mom of a daughter?
When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter: Affirming Her Identity and Dreams in Every Stage of Life
During the teen years, a mother-daughter relationship can be challenging. A daughter needs her mom’s support as a confidante and gentle guide—yet at the same time, she yearns for greater independence and wants to be her own person.
How can a mother maintain the right balance on this high-wire tightrope walk? When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter is filled with biblical instruction and personal stories that reveal what works and doesn’t work when it comes to building the mother-daughter relationship. Every mom will find tremendous encouragement as she learns to…
- know what her daughter needs
- take an interest in her daughter’s world
- choose her battles well
- encourage her daughter to dream
- affirm her daughter’s womanhood
- become her daughter’s best friend
A wonderful resource for moms who want to bring delight and blessing into this most important of relationships!
Cindi McMenamin, an award-winning writer and national speaker, is the author of When Women Walk Alone (more than 100,000 copies sold) and Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs. As a pastor’s wife, director of women’s ministries, and Bible teacher, her passion is to bring women into deeper intimacy with God. Cindi lives in Southern California with her husband, Hugh, and daughter, Dana.
The M.O.M. Initiative is giving away a copy of When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter this week! The three ways to enter are:
- Leave a comment below telling one thing you especially appreciate about your own mother or your daughter.
- Share this blog post via Twitter (Click here to Tweet) and leave a comment saying you did.
- Share this blog post via Facebook and leave a comment saying you did.
The winner will be chosen at 9:00 PM on Sunday night, December 22.
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