building self-esteem in girls

The Sissy Boy Experiment

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http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/07/cdc-non-straight-youth-more-at-risk/

 

I will definitely be watching the Sissy Boy Experiment tonight on CNN.  You?  I’m prepared to feel outraged on behalf of the boy in the story…already feeling so sad about the lack of basic human acceptance that too many non-straight kids feel from their parents, family members, and peers.  This article talks about how important family acceptance is in protecting LGBT youth from mental health problems including depression and suicidal behavior.  It also underscores the importance of creating environments in which kids feel supported socially, emotionally and physically safe.

 

 

Operation Beautiful: Ending Negative Self-Talk, One Post-It Note at a Time

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This article was originally posted on Mom It Forward on 6/6/11:

Are you ever your own worst enemy? Does the little voice inside your head ever say cruel, demeaning things like, “You’re fat,” or “You’ll never be good enough?” After a heart-to-heart with yourself, are you left feeling discouraged and demeaned?

Caitlin Boyle, founder of OperationBeautiful.com, was tired of fighting with (and losing to) her inner voice. One day—a particularly bad day—she rebelled. She wrote the words, “You are Beautiful” on a post-it note and stuck it to a public bathroom mirror. And, as they say, the rest was history. (more…)

Girls on The Run: Building Self-Esteem One Runner at a Time

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Girls on The Run: Building Self-Esteem One Runner at a Time.

 

LOVE this organization!  Included them in Friendship & Other Weapons as a great resource for young girls and will be running this week as a “Buddy” in a 5K race.

Does Your Child Feel like an Outsider?

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Celebrities and spokespeople nationwide have been promoting the message to young people that despite the challenges and struggles of fitting in during the tween and teen (and don’t forget elementary school!) years, thing DO get better. Here’s a positive video clip from Alexandra Robbins, featuring the message that being different is awesome!

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Seven Going on Seventeen: What Parents Can Do About Sexualized Media Messages for Girls

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“In each case, girls are being presented with an extremely narrow definition of femininity – one that is largely focused on how they are seen by others.”

Check out this great article that includes helpful guidelines for parents about talking with their daughters about media messages.  I (more…)

For Kids (of All Ages) Everywhere

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The Secret of Happy Kids

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One of the best things my mother ever taught me…and one of the things I try to pass on to my daughters everyday…

Free to Be…Not Anymore

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For all of you children of the 1970’s like me who spent hours and hours of your childhood listening to Marlo Thomas’ Free to Be album, check out this amazing article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marlo-thomas/marlo-thomas-bullying_b_866313.html

“Every boy in this land grows to be his own man,
In this land, every girl grows to be her own woman.”

Is Your Best Friend Your Bully?

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I adore author Rachel Simmons…this post from her wesbite is what Friendship & Other Weapons is all about…

http://www.rachelsimmons.com/2011/05/is-your-best-friend-your-bully/

5 Ways to Parent a Perfectionist

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Some days, I wish I were more of a perfectionist.  I see the splotch of paint on my bedroom ceiling and think, “Oh, I should have touched that up…nine years ago.”  I notice the slightly askew picture frames on our family room wall and wish I had bothered to measure before I hammered the nails in to the wall.  Then, I forget about it.

When I watch my seven-year old daughter agonize over handwriting homework and berate herself for missing one question on her
30-problem math test, I thank the gods of “good enough” that perfectionism was never my thing.  And I ask those same
gods for advice on how to help my child overcome her need to be flawless.

If you, too, are the parent of a perfectionist, here are some tips that I have found to be most effective:

1.       Play up personal strengths and play down competitions

In school and at home, my daughter loves to win.  My husband insists that this is a great quality and I know that in many ways, her desire for excellence will serve her well.  Yet I also know that too much of a good thing can be rough, especially for young kids who hold themselves to impossibly high standards.  When my daughter seems singularly focused on being the ‘best” reader in
her class or getting the “highest” score in math, we try to re-focus her energies on achieving personal bests and celebrating

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