Marie Osmond Reveals How Her 16-Year-Old Daughter Abigail Brought Her to (Happy) Tears

While there are a number of reasons a teen can drive their mother to tears, Marie Osmond‘s daughter Abigail only makes her cry with loving words.

“They’re so sweet. How many 16-year-olds tell you they love you?” Osmond, 59, tells PEOPLE of her youngest child while holding back tears, in an interview for Celeb Parents Get Real.

“It’s hard when you have to work — I was the provider, so for my children to understand that and love me and care enough about me to say, ‘Mom, you’re going to die, we need you. Please lose the weight.’ … They went through a lot of tough stuff. They’re survivors,” she continues.

The proud mother of eight goes on to say, “They are the best things I’ve ever done, ever.”

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Parents newsletter.

View this post on Instagram

We’ve heard it said that there are “seasons” in our lives. In this stage of my life journey, I find myself pondering the well discussed subject of how we spend our time. Last night, following the show at Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, I enjoyed some “one-on-one” time with my sweet daughter, Abigail. We spent precious time together, talking over one of our fave desserts... FROZEN YOGURT! ???? The topic of music came up and how it effects us. I may be a bit biased, but my daughter is wise for her age! ???? She told me how she deleted a few songs from her library because at the ripe old age of 16 (my words inserted there, and I definitely wouldn’t want to be that age again! ????), she realized that as much as she liked the music, some of the lyrics weren’t things she wanted imprinted on her mind. She said, even though she wasn’t really listening to the words, she knew her subconscious mind was. Again... pretty dang smart! After we got home, I pondered what my daughter said about the music we listen to and how it truly can impact our overall mood and lives. • On this Sabbath day, let us ponder over what kind of music we listen to and allow to influence our thoughts, and subsequently, our actions. Does it qualify as uplifting or does it bring us down? And like my Abi, what are we willing to remove from our playlists that might have a negative effect on us and the time we spend listening to it? • I've gone into more detail and included a few of my favorite Bible verses on the subject on my Facebook page and at MarieOsmond.com/sundaymessage. #Happy #Sunday! • #seasons #music #musicismedicine

A post shared by Marie Osmond (@marieosmond) on Nov 4, 2018 at 3:27pm PST

Marie Osmond and family
Marie Osmond and family

RELATED: Marie Osmond Says She and Donny Osmond Will Likely Retire from Las Vegas This Year

As technology becomes more prevalent in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives, the singer says, “I hope that this generation knows how important it is to have real relationships with people, not just texting or how many likes you have.”

With her children’s ages ranging from 16 to 35, Osmond has grown skeptical of social media’s influence and calls it “a very dangerous thing.”

But over the years — and now, with four grandchildren — she values spending time with her family and seeing the people they’ve become.

“They’re all really hard workers and they are kind to each other and try really hard to be kind to people,” she adds. “Some of my kids are adopted and I can’t remember which ones, but some of them are more like me than my biological and I’m like, ‘I know why God sent you to me!’ ”

RELATED VIDEO: Marie Osmond Speaks Out on the Osmond Family’s Multiple Recent Health Crises: “It’s Tough, but It’s Okay”

While Osmond jokes the last 35 years of parenting have been full of embarrassing moments, she knows, “There is no such thing as perfect.”

“I love studying the original intent of words, so I took the word ‘perfect’ back to the Hebrew meaning of it, and it doesn’t mean being perfect,” she explains.

“It means to strive for the best you can be at that time,” Osmond says. “I learned a long time ago perfect is un-achievable and life is a lot more fun if you just try the best you can!”