When my daughter was in elementary school, she received an assignment to complete a brainstorming list of topics to write about. She had many blanks spaces and complained that she did not know what to write down. As we drove down the street, she announced she had no any ideas for the opinion category. I laughed. For those who personally know my daughter and me, opinions are not lacking in our household.

I began to remind her of the pediatrician who told me at 4 weeks old, that she was clearly opinionated. God wired her with opinions. She freely vocalized them. But at that moment, she could not think of one. That was until a motorcyclist raced past us.

“Mom! Look at that guy on the motorcycle. He is going so fast and he is not wearing a helmet. And he has flip flops on. That is stupid!” she said.

“I think you just found a topic to write down.” I replied.

Yes, we all have opinions. Some people offer theirs to the world more freely, others keep them quiet. Some opinions carry great weight, others ponder trivial matters. But we all have opinions. Before I became a mother, I had all sorts of opinions on parenting. Do you ever notice we seem to be experts in what we have never experienced? Hmmm

Now that my daughter is entering high school this fall, the reality of my inexperience in raising a high schooler is ever before me. I have few opinions on how to correctly parent at this stage, but find my focus more on the short four years I have left to speak into her life before she ventures off to college.

Some days I find myself teaching my daughter opinions and beliefs about every situation we encounter throughout the day, almost like a person on their last breath wanting to get everything out that they never did earlier. She often reminds me that I have already told her. I smile. Repetition is not always bad … 

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, but I do find such incredible importance in making sure as parents we teach our children adequate tools to live productive and fulfilling lives. We cannot assume they will pick up our beliefs and values by osmosis, or that when they become adults they will somehow magically know what to do.

As parents, our teaching opportunities are actually brief in the grand scheme of the lives of our children. It is just a reminder that what we instill in our children, truly matters.