How to empower your daughter?
Photo by Daria Obymaha from Pexels
If you’re the parent of a young girl, you likely have a long list of questions on your mind. How should I raise them? Which of their interests should I foster? Among these questions, you might be wondering: How can I empower my daughter and support her growth?
It all begins with love. When you celebrate your daughter’s accomplishments, you tell her that she has value to add to the world, which builds her confidence. When you applaud the heroism of other strong women, you send the message that anything is possible, and there’s no limit to what she’s capable of.
So what else can you do? Take these nine suggestions into account.
Offer encouragement
What does it mean to offer encouragement? According to the American Psychological Association, it means to inspire and help others in a way that empowers them to find solutions to problems independently. This practice instills your daughter with the confidence that she can tackle whatever comes her way.
How can you show encouragement? Try phrases like the following.
- I can see you’re trying: This phrase reminds her that persistent effort pays off.
- I’m glad you enjoy learning: This statement reinforces the idea that education is fun.
- You must feel so proud: This saying lets her know it’s positive to celebrate accomplishments.
Celebrate Women’s History Months
Women’s History Month is the ideal time to showcase the accomplishments of women you’d like your daughter to emulate. You can participate in activities like writing letters to female leaders who inspire you.
You can also create a “Girl Power” playlist together. Most tweens and teens adore sharing the music they love. If it’s Netflix and jammies day, make it a female-centric movie marathon full of favorites like “Wonder Woman.”
Advance her education
Education provides a pathway to a successful future, but if you face socioeconomic challenges, you could toss and turn over how to pay for it. You can gently encourage your daughter to take advantage of scholarship opportunities.
For example, programs like the “Her Traditions Scholarship Program” reward young women for demonstrating skills like leadership and empathy. And that’s only one example.
Read to inspire
Reading is a beautiful way to empower your daughter through the heroic deeds of fictional characters. You can find a score of fiction and nonfiction books for every age level that inspires girl power.
You can also guide your daughter through the process of researching the biographies of women she admires online.
Encourage STEM education
Many STEM careers don’t require bulging biceps, so why do girls stay away from this lucrative field? Part of the answer lies in culture. Despite advances, Western society tends to steer females toward nurturing professions like teaching or nursing.
While there’s nothing wrong with either trade, encouraging your daughter’s scientific and mathematical endeavors can help her overcome outside stereotypes. Take her to the science center and let her play with age-appropriate learning tools. When you tinker on your car or fix a small motor, let her help.
Enroll her in self-defense classes
Like it or not, there are evil people in the world — and they tend to choose women as their victims. Pound for pound, women weigh less than men on average, making them the ideal target for criminals.
That said, size isn’t the only factor in a fight. Empower your daughter by signing her up for self-defense classes. She’ll learn far more than effective punches and kicks. She’ll also enhance her self-esteem and gain the inner confidence necessary to stand up for herself.
Teach her it is ok to say no
Do you put on a smile when you refill the office coffeepot or clean the microwave your messy colleagues left, but seethe on the inside? Many women struggle to say no, which creates significant and unnecessary stress in their lives.
Empower your daughter to say no, even when it’s hard. Teaching your daughter from an early age that both her body and her time are hers to use as she wishes will help her avoid future situations where harm could arise. Yes, this might mean she says no to you, too, at times — but you should encourage this!
Act as her health coach
If you haven’t figured it out by now, forcing your daughter to partake in healthy activities like eating her broccoli through negative reinforcement often backfires.
Instead, act as your daughter’s health coach by modeling positive eating and exercise habits yourself. Let her help you prepare the family meal and discuss the nutritional value of the foods you select. If she’s old enough, take her along with you to yoga or spin class.
Be a good role model
The best way to empower your daughter is to demonstrate what it means to be a strong woman yourself. If you and your partner both work, insist on a fair division of household chores so you’re not always bearing the second-shift brunt.
Treat others with kindness and compassion but establish healthy boundaries. Don’t let your desire for love equate to allowing a new romantic interest to walk all over you. Model the type of behavior you want your daughter to emulate.
Inspire and empower your daughter to become a strong, independent woman
Your daughter looks to you to see how to behave in the world. Empower her to become a strong, independent woman by using these tips and walking the walk yourself.