Watching My Daughter Dance – A Catholic Mother’s Reflection on Influence and Identity

Over the Fourth of July week, I traveled to Rhode Island with my four-year-old daughter for her national dance competition. It was a weekend filled with amazing costumes, fabulous hair, makeup, music, excitement—and, if I’m being honest, a few sugar crashes and mood swings along the way. But more than anything, it was a weekend of family, friends, fun and quiet reflection.

At just four years old, my daughter is in a season of life where she absorbs everything. Every conversation, every emotion, every facial expression, every gesture—she takes it all in like a sponge. I watched her study the older girls dancing, mimicking their movements, trying to copy the way they walked, spoke, and interacted. They are amazing role models for her, and she was absolutely captivated. This made me realize just how impressionable she is.

As Catholic mothers, we are called to be the first and most important teachers of our children—not just in academics or the arts, but in virtue, faith, and identity. Our homes are the first domestic churches, and our children are learning what it means to be daughters and sons of God by watching us. Every word we speak, every act of kindness or frustration, every prayer whispered before meals or bedtime—we are shaping the souls entrusted to us.

That weekend, in the middle of a busy, yet spectacular competition, I found myself praying silently for my daughter. That she would not only become a strong and graceful dancer, but also a strong and graceful woman of faith. That she would see Jesus in me, even in the chaos. That she would learn to measure her worth by the eternal love of the Father.

We may not always get it right. I didn’t every moment of that trip. But God’s grace fills in the gaps. And with each moment we anchor our parenting in Christ, we give our children something the world can’t offer: an identity rooted not in performance, but in purpose.

So to every mother navigating dance competitions, hockey games, classroom drop-offs, and chaotic mornings: take heart. Your child is watching. But more importantly, God is guiding!

God Bless,

Sarah Ackbarali, CMO

The Modern Apostle LLC.