CHAPTER 1

How to Become A Value-Adding Daughter

Bringing up a child albeit one of the best experiences, is not a job for the faint-hearted. It is an enormous emotional, physical and financial investment, to say the least. Right from the time of conception (and even before), most parents start investing in that child’s life, working tooth and nail to provide the best for their offspring; sacrificing whatever they can to meet a child’s needs. Therefore, there is nothing as gratifying for parents as seeing a child endeavouring to add value to the life of a father or a mother figure. It sends a message that parents did not labour in vain; that the seeds they sowed are multiplying thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold; that you, their daughter, were a fertile ground for your parents to invest in and that you were indeed worth the effort and resources used to bring you thus far.

In Proverbs 31:29, we see that the proverbs 31 woman was a value-adding daughter. That verse reads (AMPC): ²⁹Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

You may ask: should I repay my parents for what they did for me? Should I give them money in lieu of the services that they rendered? Of course not. Parents do not bring you into this world to be a slave that is indebted to them for your entire life. And even if you tried to, you can never fully repay the sacrifice that a parent gives for your sake. The overarching value that a daughter can render to parents is to make their lives easier and more meaningful, while making them feel valued. That is what this chapter is mainly about.

In this chapter, we discuss how I added value to my parents from a young age, as a first born. We also look at Ruth from the bible, a Moabite Woman who added value to the life of her mother-in-law, Naomi, as a parent figure. Rahab is another biblical woman we discuss, and how she added value to her parents and other members of her family by exchanging her services for their safety. We then look at several pointers that you could use to add value to your parents' lives or those of their representatives.