Empowerment messages and impressive achievements are everywhere, yet depression and anxiety are very real threats. Raising a happy, healthy, well-adjusted daughter from babyhood to womanhood can be a challenge.
With a vast universe of opportunities up for grabs, it's important to raise girls who know how to reach for what they want—without knocking others out of the way. It means promoting not only their confidence but also their kindness, smarts, and a sense of sportsmanship.
It's a tall and tricky order for sure, but you can do it!
If we tell women and girls that gaining an education automatically means they are empowered then we are only telling one side of the story. Girls need to be strong. Our kids are growing up in an increasingly gender-neutral environment very different from our own.
We often speak of how education is the way to be a perfect solution to women’s issues. This disturbs me because women’s education simply cannot address all the obstacles that women face. What is more important for a woman to aspire to is achieving and maintaining her economic independence. It is important to make this distinction because, depending on the context, a woman’s economic independence may not be a prize that exists only on the other side of a formal education.
There are many women who despite lacking a formal education possess a business awareness that has secured their economic independence.
Much of formal education is designed to prepare women and girls to develop careers and gain sustenance from a formal workforce. Raise daughters who are self-assured, know they are loved, and can stand up for themselves and others- With gentle humor and proven wisdom.
Girls need a variety of playthings so they can explore and develop their strengths and preferences. The point is to nurture the individual, drawing out her interests and unique talents.
It's smart to foster a healthy sense of competition, too: Explain to your girl that you expect her to always play her best, even if she's facing off against pals. That's not to say you should teach her to pursue victory at all costs, but she should know that only one team can win, and it's OK to want it to be hers.
She doesn't have to be so hard on herself when things don't go her way. Let her know that she is not responsible for the feelings of others, but certainly can take actions that allow her to be respectful of family, friends, and most importantly herself.
Our requirements for how girls have to look, in order to be considered dressed up, are narrow. Why does your girl have to wear a skirt or a full dress to look extra-nice? And what's even more important is that she is nice. Is she caring, empathetic, and sympathetic?
Is she a good listener, and if she sees that another child is feeling left out or having a hard time, does she reach out to him? Those are the qualities we need to encourage.
**Emphasize character over cuteness. When she grows up, some of the best careers will use skills that are typically more encouraged in guys; in fields like science and tech. Women are graduating with more advanced degrees than ever before and have more female role models in just about every public sphere you can think of.
All of the high achievement comes with a downside. It's true that girls are doing great on paper, but when we look at what we call the Internal Resume, we don't see the same success story. While girls levels of academic achievement have risen to the point that they now outperform boys consistently, their rates of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression have raised as well. While girls are doing everything possible to be all that they can, they're not enjoying it. And this "wellness gap" is what parents and teachers need to focus on…
I want my daughter to have boundless opportunity. But more than that, I want her to be happy—and a big part of that means making sure that she is ready for whatever challenges she will someday face. It can be easy to forget that parents, particularly mothers, are a powerful influence.
Even teenagers, whom we assume are easily swayed by peer pressure, say that their mom matters most. The way a mother acts in front of her daughter largely influences the child's behavior, and there are ways to model a healthy self-image that benefit both. First, watch what you say, especially gossip.
It is not just what you say, but how you say it. "Women often speak in questions or begin with a caution like, 'I'm not sure this is right, but ..." Girls take cues from the men in their lives especially the father- from the time they're little, and the attention they receive (or not) influences everything from seeking approval to finding their career path. Dads should praise their daughter’s character rather than solely compliment their appearance.
Between elementary and high school, a girl's self-esteem drops 3.5 times more than a boy's does, encourage your young daughter's individuality, and you'll lay a foundation. Adolescence is when girls truly start to understand their identity as separate from their parents. Cast a wide net when encouraging your daughter to discover her passions. Realize that sometimes you'll be the bridge who connects your daughter to the expert.
Girls are inadvertently groomed to become perfectionists by being praised for "good girl" behavior, so they quickly learn that making mistakes means "not good enough." This becomes problematic, that this is the very process of taking risks and messing up that builds confidence.
We tend to make our kids’ lives easy by doing things for them because we are so desperate for them to succeed. But then, when you tell a child she can do anything, she has no evidence to support that because she hasn't had tried hard at anything. Explain your daughter that mistakes are a normal part of life.
Speak up (often!) About your own missteps, even when it's something as minor as preparing a bad tea, and give her opportunities to make little blunder. The process of learning through trial and error will build her confidence. Try something new together—a baking experiment, a martial arts class— where you can mess- up together for the fun of it.
The highlight of your child’s social life is being the line leader, but tough social situations start earlier than you think. Girls learn very early to take care of emotions by Nature. They think they are always supposed to feel happy and excited, and they push down so-called bad feelings like jealousy, anger, or insecurity.
Since birth, they are instilled with a mind-set which does not perhaps go beyond – having kids, cooking, raising a family, not going against the wishes of her family before marriage, not going against the wishes of her husband after marriage, working if the family needs money, not working if the husband’s family find it unacceptable, and the list is never ending.
I can't stand when parents tell their daughter that a boy is being mean to her because he likes her, it sets a terribly unhealthy precedent by teaching a girl that being treated badly means the person likes her and therefore she should accept the behavior.
I can’t stand when parents tell their daughter to keep silent when someone is trying to disrespect and humiliate her, as it looks impolite and ungracious.
Teach your girls that they cannot allow anybody to take them for granted and that they must know to stand for themselves whenever and wherever it is required. Teach them how to defend themselves, teach them they are not a bundle of cuteness; they are a self-respectful human being and that no one can take Advantage of them.
Teach your girls how to be independent. Teach her to raise her voice. Teach her to have an opinion of her own. Treat and raise them right as an Individual who must decide what they want to be in their life. I say teach your girls how to identify and absorb the good traits from others. Give them the power to think and decide what to filter out and what not to. Teach them – to take the responsibility for their wrong decisions; and enjoy the Credit for their right decisions.
I can’t stand when parents think happiness only lies in choosing a profession that the society perceives as the Right One. STOP saying - Do things Like a Girl.
Parents, Stop right now- of treating her like a show-piece in front of the people and getting their approval or rejection for getting her married. Do you know what this can do to her self-esteem? It can shatter her into pieces. It is so deeply rooted in our generations that we do not even realize it’s wrong.
Tell your daughter- She is an epitome of strength. She has the power to create life inside her body and that is just what Mother Nature has blessed her with. When she starts to explore her talents, her capability, her intelligence – that is when she starts realizing her true potential. Raise and empower your daughter to have an identity of her own other than being a daughter, a wife and a mother.
Encourage your girls to be engaged in their homes and communities as change agents, and thus incorporates soft skills such as conflict management, self-advocacy, leadership, and problem solving. Their Critical knowledge includes: basic health, safety, rights, self-awareness, and future planning.
“A hand that rocks the cradle rules the world“