How To Raise A Little Girl To Be an Empowered Lady
In honor of International Day of The Girl Child, here are some ways we can raise our little girls to be empowered ladies.
Ladies are prim, proper, proactive, and powerful. We raise our daughters to breathe and sweat an elegant form of confidence that can command the room with a single look. Being beautiful is only one aspect; we also want them to be brilliant, bold, and big-hearted. But how do we do that in a world where feminism is gaining a bad reputation and we live in a culture where assertiveness is looked down on?
1. Live by and teach the rule: “Ladies don’t start fights but they can definitely finish them.”
A wise kitty from Aristocats once said, “A lady doesn’t start fights but she can definitely finish them.” Being a lady doesn’t mean being demure and meek but it also doesn’t mean being a war freak and out to fight everybody. While it is tempting for our little girls to throw the first punch at someone who makes fun of them, always remind them that throwing the first punch is never right.
But that doesn’t mean taking the punch either. It can mean blocking it or redirecting it back.
2. Expose them to different things.
From wine-and-dine and trying hole-in-the-wall restaurants to eating street food, a wide spectrum of experiences helps little girls develop a sense of resilience. By exposing them to both the richer and normal things in life, they’ll be wiser and develop their resourcefulness and resilience faster without having to subject them to extremely stressful things.
3. Let them try choosing their own style.
As moms, it’s so tempting. And it will always be on our bucket list to have a mini version of ourselves. But at their age, little girls are also developing their identities and they are their own person. If we want our little girls to be confident in themselves, we need to let them have an active role in choosing what they want to be. Letting them choose what dress or shirt to wear is one way to start!
4. Have a wide variety of lady role models.
The persona of a “lady” isn’t just one role model. It can be a fusion of many—like the late Princess Diana, the current Princess of Wales — Catherine Middleton (Kate Middleton), prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Arden, and many others.
5. Do not shame them for their emotions but instead, teach them a better way to handle and accept them.
There’s this long, lasting, and irritating stigma that little girls are “cry babies” and that usually translates to telling little girls and even little boys to “hold it in.” Emotions don’t make a person but letting them control you does. There are multiple healthy ways to accept and handle them.
On International Day of The Girl Child, we hope to raise ladies of the world.
International Day of The Girl Child brings to light many social issues that little girls go through. From trafficking, bullying, body issues, and more, there’s just too much to deal with that we don’t know where to start. But when it comes to helping other little girls out there and understanding their experience, no one knows better than a lady who was once a little girl herself. In raising our little girls how to be empowered ladies, we also set the precedent for many others to raise their little girls to be ladies of the world.
More on feminism and women power:
Nathalie Africa-Verceles: Feminism in PH Parenting
Cathy Binag Is One Empowered Woman And Here’s Why
WATCH: In New Black Panther Trailer, The Women Shall Rise
