You guys already know… if there were an Olympic event for second-guessing yourself as a mom, I’d be bringing home the gold. Daily. I’m forever wondering: Am I doing enough? Saying the right things? Setting the right boundaries? Raising them to stand firm in a world that seems louder and messier every time I blink?

And if you listen long enough, the world has plenty to say about this generation coming up:

“They’re glued to their phones.”

“They don’t care about anything.”

“They’re too soft… too influenced… too disconnected.”

But over the weekend, I got a front-row reminder that maybe – just maybe – it’s not the generation at all. It’s how we raise them.

Emerson wanted to see a different movie with her friends, so I took my younger two to watch the new “Wicked” while she went into the theater next door. Her movie let out early, and when I walked over to find her, I spotted a group of girls sitting at a table outside the ice cream shop.

Not laughing.

Not scrolling.

Not gossiping.

But sitting there, hands linked, heads bowed, praying softly over a friend who’d just gotten news about being sick.

And right then… in the middle of a noisy sidewalk between a movie theater and an ice cream shop… every ounce of second-guessing inside me quieted.

This world has its influences – temptations, noise, opinions, etc. We can’t protect our kids from all of it, and honestly? We’re not supposed to. They’re going to need strength that comes from standing firm, not sheltering forever.

But who they are? Who they become?… That starts at home.

It starts with the things we model. The boundaries we set. The conversations we have at bedtime or in the car line. The reminders to be kind, be brave, be honest. Making sure they’re in church and know where their foundation is. Teaching them to put God first – above everything else the world tries to hand them.

I tell Emerson all the time how important it is to have good friends… but also to be a good friend. To show up. To pray. To care. To be the one who brings light when someone else feels lost in the dark.

And seeing her surrounded by girls who choose prayer over drama, compassion over convenience, and faith over fear… that was the reminder my mama heart didn’t even realize it was begging for.

I’m so grateful… for her heart, her circle. Grateful that in a world full of noise, these girls are choosing prayer!

And if you’re a mama doubting yourself today, wondering if anything you’re doing is sticking, let me just tell you: the seeds you’re planting are taking root. Even when you can’t see them yet.

One day, out of nowhere, you’ll catch a glimpse (just like I did) and every doubt will fall silent. It won’t stay that way for long. Us moms, we always find something new to worry about, but it will be enough to push you to keep moving forward, I promise you!

(Paige Gurgainers is a mom of three girls, digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)