Time away with the utmost importance...

How can this cheesey grinned little girl almost be a teenager?

She has a zest for life, spunk, and is the best babysitter and mommy's helper ever:)

This weekend this goof ball and I will go away (actually we are only going next door). Our neighbors are heading out of town and graciously letting us use their home.  

We are going away to do The Family Life Passport to Purity!  (Greg did it with the big boys years ago)  I have been looking forward to doing this with Anna for the last couple of years... And now seems like just the right time... My sweet little girl is growing into a beautiful young lady...

I keep telling Greg in all honesty... He better get the bat and guns out when the boys start calling😳!  

I am so thankful that she and I talk openly... I wouldn't want it any other way... I want her to be fully equipped as she goes though the hard teenage years... 

I know there will be bumps along the way... Maybe even mountains, but I want to continue to lay that foundation of love communication, and ultimately a foundation that continually points her back to Jesus and His best plans for her...

I don't want her to settle for less... 

Will she make mistakes like I have??  Probably, but hopefully spending time having these hard conversations now will save her some heartache down the road...

I know it may not be the popular thing to be modest, wait to date, or save yourself for the one you will marry but this will just be the tip of the iceberg as far as discussions go this weekend... There may be slightly awkward moments but...

SHE IS SO WORTH IT!!! Every bit of it!! 

So with a joyful really excited heart, I can not wait to get time alone with my girl... 

She is one of my greatest treasures from The Lord in this life... And I consider it a total priviledge to get to talk about these things with her... 

And then hopefully when the storms of the teenage years start to blow, she will KNOW that she can always come to me...

How about you??? Did you have an organized plan on addressing these issues with your teen or preteen? I would love to hear what other Christian parents did:)