If people saw us from the outside they might think that I am too open with her and that we talk about too many adult things. They might say that I teach her to be too irreverent, that I allow too much sass, and that I should be a more serious mother.

But their judgment is so very shallow. Those comments don’t even scratch the surface of what my daughter and I have together.

And I get it, they don’t know.

But here it is...

We have the sort of relationship where we can snark and hurl words at each other, we can cry and sometimes hurt each other,
We can walk away from each other...

But we always come back.

For the love between us.
For the natural attitude we share.
For the jokes we toss around.
For the hugs we need.
For the wisdom to be shared.
For the talks that need to be had.
For the trust we give to each other
For the snark and the sass.
For the sarcasm we are fluent in.
For the relationship we fight for.
For the growing we do.

I teach her with every breath in me to speak her mind with dignity- and if that comes off as sassy and irreverent, then I’ll have to say,

Sorry, but I’m not sorry!

Teaching her to say “No” to people with respect for herself is one of my top priorities.

She needs to know that saying no does not make her mean.

She needs to understand what’s OK for her, and what’s not.

She needs to learn what her internal voice sounds like,

She’ll need to listen to it before any other person’s.

I must teach her to stand up for herself, because when I’m not there, who else will?

So yeah, I have a sassy daughter, and I am immensely proud of her for who she is.

She's also sensitive and caring. Nothing that matters can’t be fixed with a hug and some laughs.

This is my girl who never turns down a chance to be silly with me.

This is my girl, who never resists the urge to tell me when she thinks I’m wrong.

She forces me to grow in ways that I never expected, and while neither of us will ever be perfect, we are certainly perfect for each other in this life.

For more raw and real motherhood inspiration, come follow me at This Simple Life & on Instagram @thissimplelifeblog.