Embracing the Sacred Season of Motherhood

Let’s just say it: nobody really prepares you for this season of motherhood. You know the one.

Where your daughter starts straddling the line between girlhood and womanhood. One minute she’s asking you to braid her hair for church, and the next she’s shutting her door and asking for “space.”

It’s a season that doesn’t get much airtime—unless it’s to make a punchline out of teenage girls.

Culture is quick to label this phase as dramatic, emotional, defiant, or impossible. Cue the sitcoms: eye rolls, attitude, and a mom pulling her hair out over the latest group chat drama.

Redefining the Narrative

But I’m calling time-out on that narrative.

This season? It’s not toxic. It’s not a tragedy.

It’s a transformation. It’s not always comfortable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not sacred.

What if—just what if—we saw our daughter’s tug for independence as evidence that God is growing her? Maturing her? Positioning her to step into the woman He’s called her to be? And we? We get a front-row seat to the unfolding.

Yes, it’s a wild ride. One minute she’s climbing in bed because she had a bad dream. The next, she’s challenging your opinion like a tiny lawyer in leggings. Your once soft-spoken daughter suddenly has a take on everything from modesty to curfews to why TikTok should be a love language.

But here's the truth we rarely say out loud:

It’s okay to feel sad about it.

It’s okay to grieve the loss of her little-ness.

It’s okay to miss the days when she thought you hung the moon.

But after you wipe your tears and wrap yourself in your cozy robe, you’re faced with a holy choice:

Will you retreat—hands-off, hoping she figures it out?

Or will you rise?

Will you lean in, stay soft, stay steady, and be the mom she didn’t even know she still needs?

A Biblical View: This Is God’s Design

If you’ve got your Bible (or your app), flip over to Luke 2:41–52. It’s one of the only glimpses we get of Jesus as a preteen. Mary and Joseph take Him to Jerusalem for Passover. They pack up to leave, thinking He’s with the group—but after a day’s journey, they realize He’s missing. Panic. Full-blown parent anxiety.

They find Him three days later (yes, THREE!) sitting in the temple, surrounded by teachers, asking questions, giving answers, and blowing everyone’s minds. When Mary confronts Him, Jesus says: “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) Oof. That’s a moment.

Jesus wasn’t being rebellious—He was stepping into His calling. He was stretching, growing, and testing His wings. He was beginning to understand who He was and what He was made for. Sound familiar?

This moment reminds us that even Jesus' own mother experienced the ache of letting go and the tension of watching her child mature into purpose. And yet, what does Scripture say?

“He went down with them… and was obedient… and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:51–52)

Growth doesn’t have to equal rebellion. Independence doesn’t mean disrespect. In fact, the ache we feel is confirmation that something holy is happening. Your daughter is becoming. And you, mama? You are being invited to become too.

Arrows, Not Accessories

Psalm 127:4-5 says, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

Arrows. Not knick-knacks. Not accessories. Not trophies.

Arrows are designed to fly. They were never meant to stay in the quiver.

You are not just raising a daughter. You are preparing a warrior.

And here's the sobering part: if we shrink back during this season—if we let society’s script become our blueprint—we risk missing the very moments that shape her deepest convictions. We risk turning a sacred invitation into a source of shame and confusion.

You weren’t meant to control this season. You were meant to coach through it.

When It Feels Personal (But It’s Not)

I get it. The eye rolls can feel personal. The sass can sting. You’re not crazy for wanting to take it all personally—it’s hard not to.

But hear me: it’s not rejection. It’s development.

She’s trying on independence the way she once tried on every princess dress in her closet. She’s exploring, testing, learning how to think, lead, and live. And that’s biblical, too. Proverbs 22:6 reminds us:

“Train up a child in the way she should go, and when she is old, she will not depart from it.” Training doesn’t stop when they hit double digits. In fact, that’s when the training starts to show.

This is where the seeds you planted start breaking through the soil. But it takes sunshine and water—and yes, even a little pruning.

Stay the course.

Don’t Go It Alone

We were never meant to mother in isolation.

The early church in Acts was marked by togetherness. They “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship” (Acts 2:42). They shared everything—meals, burdens, celebrations, challenges.

We need that now more than ever.

Mama, you don’t have to figure this out alone. There are other women in the trenches with you, trying to figure out how to respond to eye rolls without losing their minds or their witness. Link arms. Start a prayer text thread—swap stories. Show up for each other. Remind each other what’s true: that this season is hard, holy, and worth every messy moment.

From Grit to Grace

So what does it look like to walk this out practically?

It looks like grace on repeat.

It looks like staying anchored in the Word even when your world feels wobbly. It looks like asking the Holy Spirit daily:

“Who do you need me to be for her today?”

Some days you’ll get it right. Some days you’ll lose your cool. That’s okay. You’re not raising her to expect perfection—you’re modeling humility and dependence on Jesus.

Let her see you pray.

Let her see you apologize.

Let her see you worship in the chaos.

Because that? That’s what sticks.

The Invitation

Mama, I know this season is stretching you.

But what if it’s also sanctifying you?

What if the same God who’s growing her is growing you?

Will you embrace this season as sacred?

Will you step in, not step back?

Will you open your hands instead of closing your heart?

The world says dread this season.

Jesus says, “Follow Me.”

And when you do?

You’ll discover that the fiercest, freest, most faith-filled version of your daughter is rising right before your eyes. And so are you.

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About the Author: Kaase Levell is your go-to girl for truth bombs and Bible drops! She’s a coach, speaker, and podcast host behind FR, Let’s Talk—a Q&A style podcast where Christian teen girls ask anything. Her mission? Link arms with teen girls (and their mamas), crack open the Word, and cheer this generation on—loud, proud, and unfiltered!

Want in? Download her free resources—12 Prophetic Prayers for Moms + 5 Days to Slay for girls—at www.frletstalk.com.