Raising Strong Girls

Once you have a daughter, your entire view of the world changes.  You realize how difficult it is to raise a strong, independent, smart girl.  Every where you turn, there are images, books, movies, etc. showing woman that are weak and willing to let someone else take care of them.  I know I have run into my share of road blocks along my path just because I am a female.  However, I am proud that I am a strong female and try to do whatever possible to not let those road blocks stop me.  I love high heels and the color pink, but I also love that I can take care of myself.  DH is my partner, not my care-giver and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I go out of my way to make sure that Piper sees what an amazing, smart, strong girl she is.  Sure, she hears an awful lot from an awful lot of people how "pretty" she is.  I don't deny that.  She has blonde curly hair, dimples and blue eyes that can melt any heart.  But, she is more than her looks and I think she needs to learn that at a very young age.  Both DH and I tell her all the time how smart she is, and we are pushing her toward being independent.  Little girl loves to carry her stool around the house to get things that are out of reach on her own.  I love to just sit back and watch her do it.

I have come across a few web-sites that I love, that are about empowering girls and I wanted to give them a shout-out right here.

The first is A Mighty Girl. A Mighty Girl, is filled with book and movie suggestions that showcase strong girls.  The book and movie section is broken down into categories.  They also have a blog where they feature Mighty Girls, be they trail-blazers from the past or current Mighty Girls.  

My next favorite is a clothing site started by a mom who wanted to "change the way we think about girls."  I want her to be my BFF.  I love her mission statement on the front of her page (Pigtail Pals and Ballcap Buddies).  I will be ordering from her site. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with princesses. I just think there is something wrong with a princess that is willing to sit in a tower and wait for someone to come and get her.  I think it would be a better story to have the princess slay the dragon and rescue herself.  Don't you agree?