We were driving down the road with the entire family, when she asked through the quiet:
“Mommy, can girls be doctors?”
“Honey,” I responded in almost shock, “You absolutely can be whatever you want to be.
You have to work hard, and you have to study hard, but you can be absolutely anything that you truly set your mind to be. And girls can certainly be anything they want.”
I think she got a little more than an earful that afternoon, while we launched into the history of women and careers. It was a conversation infused with questions for the kids on what they could be. I get a little passionate on the subject. It was a list of profession options on the spectrum of possibilities: Hair stylist. Zoo keeper. Doctor. Writer. Veterinarian. Policeman. Each child giggled with the opportunity, picturing themselves in what they want to be when they grow up, especially when we offered suggestions they hadn’t considered yet.
I’m sure there’s some parenting article somewhere that says I’m not supposed to say that they can ‘be anything’. I mean, there’s that whole I-could-never-be-a-Dallas-Cowboys-cheerleader thing because that ship has sailed, I’m awkward, and Jamin does a better toe touch than me, but I’m also not very passionate about the topic, either. If I fail at everything else in the inspiration department, I want them to know that they can find their passion, and go for it.
And that we’ll be behind them one hundred percent. Even if they don’t “figure it out” right away. Some days, I think I’m still trying to figure it out.
We’ve had more than one conversation about this, so I know the idea hasn’t been lost on her and that maybe she was just being seven at the moment. But I hope she knows, that if she wants to be a doctor, we can’t wait to be her patients. If she wants to be a hair stylist, we’ll be her best clients. And if she wants to be a mom, we’ll be the best grandparents ever. {Right now, she’s torn between these, and being a writer. She wants to be a doctor, run her stylist business on the weekends, while documenting it all on her… wait for it… blog.}
We’ll be backing her. No matter what.
We want her to know that life will throw her curveballs and disappointments. But it can also be amazing. She’ll feel on top of the world. And she will have those moments where she’ll fall flat on her face. We all do.
But the most important thing?
To love herself. Right where she is. In that moment.
To love God, and to love others, right where they are.
To love the process. Even when it’s hard.
And that she doesn’t have to have it all together, packaged up nicely with a golden ribbon. Because I’m not sure any of us really do. To be genuine and real, is more important than any label, and that she shouldn’t ever let anything define her.
If you can figure that out, that it all comes back to that… you’re doing what really matters in the world of important jobs. Because it’s at the core. It’s what’s truly important. It’s what makes you who you are.
It’s what makes us all who we are, no matter where we find ourselves in the crazy ups and downs of life. So no matter where you are in that little rollercoaster cycle, I hope you find your passion.
Because you’re amazingly you, and your story is never over… no matter what chapter you may find yourself in.
So this weekend, the profession of choice was jewelry designer.
And so design some jewelry, we did.
We know that tassels are ‘all the rage’ right now, and she loves the ones in her space. So we decided to try our hand at some fun creations for around our necks.
Here’s what we used: Embroidery thread, beads from around our house, twine of your choice, old chains {or some for the craft store, depending on what you want to make}, and scissors.
And we got to work!
We took some twine, and strung it with beads.
We had a few around the house from craft store jaunts of the past, and some from broken jewelry of our own. So we divided it up, decided on our pattern, and after we chose our look, we strung them on. From plain jane wooden beads to fun combos… the looks were so different every time.
And then we made our tassels.
There are a bazillion different ways to make tassels out there. Here’s one from a post of the past {and another fun tassel project} if you choose this approach with different materials.
We’ve seen a few with embroidery thread out there, and here’s our version of creating these little pieces, if you will:
Take the embroidery thread, and leaving it “packaged”, use your twine of choice to run it through the big loop at the top where they all come together. Tie it, at least twice.
Leave a little extra to work with, then joining your twine or thread together, string it through some beads on the top, or whatever embellishment you like.
Trim off at whatever length you want on the tassel part, and tie it a little ways down with matching {or contrasting} thread at the top for that “tassel” look.
Add it to your already strung necklace at the midway point {if you have trouble finding it, you can hang it from your neck, and mark the spot you like from your finger}.
Tie it securely in between the beads and trim the leftover twine.
Tada! You have a tassel necklace.
Here’s a little tricolor tassel we made. We love the look of more than one shade:
We simply grouped them all together through the top, just like the first one, with our twine.
Then we trimmed them all off, secured the knot at the top, and wrapped more twine at the top part. This time, because there were three colors, we went with more of our necklace twine for a different look.
And here’s the same look again, with more colors. Finished up in her version…
We added one to an old chain for a fun look, and realized we could have one in every color, if we wanted {I may or may not have gotten a little carried away}…
They make for great little outfit pieces!
They even make fun, chunky looks when not in use, sitting around the house for great accents.
Emerson loves her little designs.
I told her if she decides she doesn’t want to be a brain surgeon, the whole stylist thing might work out nicely for her. ;}
She’s keeping her options open.
There’s something quite old fashioned and therapeutic about fun little homemade jewelry making!
As always, let us know if you try them! We’d love to hear some of your ideas for different combos.
Have an inspired day!
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