Posts tagged parenting girls

Teaching Our Daughters What it Really Means to be a Woman Friend

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From the brilliant woman who, about a week or so ago, brought us the Don’t Carpe Diem article about how challenging it can be to “savor every moment” as parents of little ones…here is another inspired piece about Mommy Guilt…or more precisely, what a shame it is that women make each other feel guilty for their individual choices as parents.   An excerpt…

 

So, angry, debating ladies… here’s the thing. My daughter is watching me AND you to learn what it means to be a woman. And I’d like her to learn that a woman’s value is determined less by her career choices and more by how she treats other women, in particular, women who are different than she is. I’d like her to learn that her strength is defined by her honesty and her ability to exist in grey areas without succumbing to masking her insecurities with generalizations or accusations. And I’d like her to learn that the only way to be both graceful and powerful is to dance among the endless definitions of the word woman… and to refuse to organize women into categories, to view ideas in black and white, or to choose sides and come out swinging. Because being a woman is not that easy, and it’s not that hard.

 

So, maybe instead of tearing each other up, we could each admit that we’re a bit torn up about our choices, or lack thereof. And we could offer each other a shoulder or a hand. And then maybe our girls would see what it really means to be a woman.

 

Think this much is amazing and so, so right on?  Check out her full article here on the HuffingtonPost.

One Girl’s Anti-Bullying Efforts Make a Difference Throughout Her School

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I adore this news story about how one empathic, ready-to-make-her-world-better 8th grade girl used simple, handwritten messages on Post-It notes to change the culture in her school!  Please give it a read:

http://dexter.patch.com/articles/mill-creek-middle-school-student-posts-inspirational-messages-to-classmates#c

 

In Friendship & Other Weapons, I challenge kids to think about how they can help end bullying before, during, and after it occurs.  Kids brainstorm ideas and really learn about what it means to be a (s)hero instead of a bystander.  I want kids to learn and remember that it is never okay to doing nothing about bullying.

 

Samantha Bremmer, the girl featured in the article, can obviously attest to the fact that little things kids do to create an anti-bullying culture in school can make a huge difference.  WAY TO GO, GIRL!!  Inspire on!

What to Do When Your Daughter is the Mean Girl

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I knew this day would come. I was, of course, hoping it never would — hoping that my daughter would never be mean to someone else’s daughter — but as they say, I wrote the book on girl bullying in elementary school, so I knew that there was a pretty good chance that despite all of my best efforts, one of these days, my girl was gonna act like the mean one. This morning, she told me about it.

 

To read the full story, please visit the HuffingtonPost Parents section at the link below:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/signe-whitson/what-to-do-when-your-daug_b_1205113.html

What to Say When Your Daughter Says, “Mom, I’m Fat.”

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What do you say when your daughter says, “Mom, I’d fat?”  This Mom couldn’t have said it any better:

http://www.rachelsimmons.com/2012/01/mom-im-fat-one-mothers-inspired-response-to-her-7-year-old/

25 Rules for Daughters from People I Want to Punch in the Throat

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I love, love, love these rules!  If I had a “theme rule” for How to Be Angry, it would be Rule 9:

Teach your daughter that she has the right to get loud.  Make sure she knows girls can get angry, they can have opinions and they can throw “lady like” behavior out the window if necessary.

 

http://www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com/2012/01/rules-for-parents-of-daughters.html?spref=fb&m=1

 

Fotoshop is the PERFECT Teacher for Young Girls Facing Media Pressures

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If you’re familiar with the phrase “sad, but true,” this must-watch video is hilarious because it’s so sad that it’s so true. 

Moms, watch this one with your daughters!  I know I will be showing this in my Mother-Daughter workshops based on Friendship & Other Weapons when we talk about the media’s impact on young girls.  This is the perfect clip for creating awareness about healthy body images, photoshopping, and self-esteem. 

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

 

“Maybe she’s born with it.  No…I’m pretty sure it’s Fotoshop!”

A Daughter is One of the Most Beautiful Gifts the World Has to Give

There’s Nothing More Badass Than Being Yourself

Thought this photo was the PERFECT image to accompany the Huffington Post article I wrote yesterday, celebrating my daughter’s free spirit and creative thinking:

The Best Bad Report Card Ever: Why I Delight In the “Minus” on My Daughter’s Report Card

I’ve got two awesome, creative, outside-the-box-thinking, free-spirited daughters (if I do say so myself).  While sometimes the fact that they like to do things their “own way” makes them more challenging to parent, I also think it makes them infinitely INTERESTING little people and I know it can make them wildly successful later in life if they channel their ideas well.  That’s why it always concerns me when I see teachers who try to fit them into a box for their own convenience or penalize them for not conforming enough.

Do you have a little free thinker at home?

Please check out my article on the Huffington Post and let me know your thoughts.  Share with your friends via your social networks.  I’d love to hear what other parents think.

Scratching Beneath the Surface: Recognizing Common Psychological Defenses Used By Kids

Don’t let the title of my recent post in Psychology Today fool you; little kids are not the only ones who employ psychological defenses to guard against emotional pain.  Tweens, teens, and adults alike often go to great lengths to mask inner pain with defensive words and behaviors.

Parents, teachers, caregivers and friends who recognize common, defensive verbal façades are in the best position to support a child’s true feelings.  Please check out my recent post on PsychologyToday.com to learn how to recognize four of the most common defenses used by kids.

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