Blessed be the Lord, who has surely heard my cries and prayers.

Slowly but surely, He is shaping B into a young woman after his own heart.

Last Sunday when our family hosted morning tea at church, B ran around collecting used coffee cups, cleaned tables and helped out with a cheerful demeanour that made me weep happy tears inside.

There was a time not too long ago when she would refuse to step up when it was time to help. The change is so wonderful to see, and I marvel at how far she has come in the last few months.

For most of 2013, she was often sullen, defiant and had such an embedded sense of entitlement that I despaired of my parenting ability.

Now she greets me with a hug on waking up, and we engage in spontaneous conversations about the IB program, Dave and Phil, Troy Savans, Tyler Oakley, YouTube happenings, global poverty and her latest creative writing ideas.

Today when I complained about my sore neck and shoulder, she Googled the topic, then sat me down, massaged my neck to locate the knots, and instructed me through a set of stretching exercises.

Next she helped me take down all the old photos from the wooden divider that served as family photo board, even locating the right screwdriver for the job, and rattled off terms like "flathead" and "jimmy". Got potential to be a handywoman, this one.

We talked about vision boards - she wants one for her room. Played badminton for the first time - she praised my playing (amazing! praise from my normally blunt and sarcastic daughter!).

I'm just waiting for the transformation to "kind, helpful big sister" and "okay, maybe going to a different school for Year 7 is not such a bad idea".