Little girls are sugar and spice and everything nice. But as parents, we want them to be more than that. We want our daughters to grow up to be confident, young women, ready to take on the world. We want them to know that they can be whoever and whatever they want to be. As Beyonce sang, “Who run the world? Girls!” To empower your daughter, start as early as possible!
What can you read in this article?
- How to raise a baby girl
- How to raise successful daughters
- Raising strong and confident daughters
13 ways to empower your daughter to reach for the stars!
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1. Embrace yourself first, mommies
Mommies have the greatest impact on their daughters. So moms, embrace yourselves wholeheartedly, mind, body, and soul. Because your daughter is watching you, and listening to every single word you say.
How to raise a baby girl: first, walk the talk. Moms have a huge impact on their daughters’ body image. So stop fussing over your weight and things like, “Does this dress make me look fat?”
Use positive language instead, and lead the way, by constantly trying out new things. Believe it or not, before I learned to drive, my daughters actually thought that driving was meant only for daddies!
2. Talk to her – a lot
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We all know how much little girls like to chat. So talk to her, and engage your daughter in intelligent conversations on a variety of topics, including body image, bullying, relationships, personal development, mental health, and her dreams in life.
While talking about various topics that encourage critical thinking, you’re not just getting to know your daughter more, you’re also getting a glimpse of her world of thinking. Sometimes, you’d even be surprised that you have a daughter as bright as she is.
Create an atmosphere of acceptance and open communication. And make sure you are listening.
3. Get her to voice her opinion
In raising strong and confident daughters, you have to provide them with an environment where she is challenged to think and speak for themselves.
Your little angel needs to know that her thoughts and opinions really do matter. So encourage her to speak up about what she really believes in.
Rather than hide all the ‘bad stuff’ from her, expose her to the media and news. Have meaningful discussions and teach her to be a critical observer. The advertisement that promises instant fair skin? Discuss what’s right, and what really matters. Contest her opinions and let her explain herself. Who knows, you might actually even learn so much from your daughter.
Encourage your daughters to read the news and visit libraries. This will boost their intelligence, and mold their perspective on issues and happenings around the world.
4. Expose her to female role models
Apart from mommies, it is important to provide our daughters with examples of empowered young women from a variety of backgrounds.
So to empower your daughter, expose her to stories of real-life superwomen, who managed to overcome incredible odds in life, and made a positive impact in the world. Some powerful, inspiring women include:
Greta Thunberg rose to prominence after protesting outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, when she was 15 years old. She carried a sign that read “School Strike for Climate” to put pressure on the government to reach carbon emission reduction objectives. Her tiny movement had a worldwide impact, motivating hundreds more young people to organize their own strikes around the world. By December 2018, more than 20,000 students from all over the world had joined her in protesting by skipping school. A year later, she was nominated for the first of three Nobel Peace Prizes for her work on climate change.
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who, as a teenager, spoke out publicly against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s ban on girls receiving an education. She earned international notoriety after surviving an assassination attempt when she was 15 years old. Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 in honor of their work on behalf of children’s rights.
5. Respect her choice
Respect your little girl for who she is, for her unique personality, and for her choices – be it in clothes, movies, or friends.
Don’t try to impose your own thoughts and expectations on her. Guide her, but allow her to bloom into the person she was meant to be.
6. Be her cheerleader
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Your daughter needs to know that you’ll be there for her, no matter what – even if she does badly at her exams, or forgets her lines in the school play.
Empower your daughter by being her biggest cheerleader, because it matters the most to her and makes her feel brave and confident.
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7. Teach her to be independent and brave
Daddies, especially, don’t treat your daughters as delicate darlings and damsels in distress. Give her the opportunities and tools to tread on unfamiliar terrain and try new things instead.
Teach her that it’s okay to fall, and teach her to brush herself off and get back up. Treat her as no different from your son.
Encourage her to venture out of her comfort zone, and remind her, that each time, she’s learning something new.
8. Instill social confidence and encourage friendships
Teach your daughter the importance of making good friends and maintaining quality relationships. There is nothing like friendship to boost confidence and self-esteem, and to cheer you up when you are down.
Encourage her to take part in team sports, for research shows that, girls who play on teams have higher self-esteem. Plus, raising strong and confident daughters also means having daughters that play any sports, even ones that the society says are just good for boys.
- Basketball
- Skateboarding
- Tennis
- Horseback riding
- Martial Arts
- Hiking
9. Praise her for her efforts than her performance
Focus less on the outcome and more on efforts and the development of new skills.
If you’re wondering how to raise a baby girl with high self-esteem, get her involved in activities that build a sense of confidence, rather than just focusing on looking good and acquiring things.
Creative activities like sports, theater, music, and artwork well, because they allow girls to express themselves and bring out their hidden talents.
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10. Compliment her on something other than her looks
Your daughter needs to know that as a girl, she’s much more than a ‘pretty face’. And it starts with you.
Focus more on who she is, than what she looks like. When giving compliments, try to praise her for something non-appearance-based.
For example, praising her for her wit, for helping that elderly at the grocery store, or something she said and stood up for in a certain situation. Notice the moments where she shined from the inside and compliment her for it.
Some compliments that could help you in how to raise successful daughters:
- “I’m so proud of you for trying.”
- “I think you should try out for the team because you’re a fantastic football player.”
- “You’re wonderful at helping others, especially when they’re sick or in desperate need of assistance. You’re amazing.”
- “I think you’re great at choosing clothes that make your body feel nice. You’re eyes look joyful when you do that.”
- “Thank you for spending time with me. You make me happy, just for being around.”
11. Choose your toys wisely
No harm in getting your little one that Barbie doll, but in this age, it makes much more sense to arm her with more scientific and logical toys instead.
The more she’s exposed to such playthings, the more her critical thinking skills and understanding of concepts develop. They may even influence her career choices later on in life.
Take a look at the Montessori Method of learning. Dr. Maria Montessori created the Montessori Method in the early 1900s. It’s a type of child-centered education that includes child-led activities (referred to as “work”), mixed-age classrooms, and teachers who foster independence in their students. Here are a few examples of Montessori toys.
12. Instill money skills
When it comes to money and financial skills, we know that women still seem to be lagging behind their male counterparts. One way to combat this, and make your daughter future-ready is to introduce her to money, and savings early on.
To start, give her a weekly allowance and encourage her to save for something she wants. Talk openly about your own savings and spending habits. You can also discuss with her some chores she can do in order to earn extra allowance or incentive.
13. Teach her to dream
A final tip on how to raise successful daughters? Encourage your daughter to dream, that, no matter how impossible they may seem, her dreams are still valid. Teach her to set future goals and start working towards achieving them. Sit with her and help her think it out.
Most importantly, let her know that, no matter what happens in life, you will still love her.
Raising strong and confident daughters is no easy task. Sometimes it can make you feel uncertain but you’re her mother or her father, you know how to raise successful daughters best. Let this be your guide on how to raise a baby girl but don’t forget to mix it up with the parent in you.
