One of the most important - or shall we say, the single most important thing about raising little girls is to get them to be independent. Society is full of overt and subliminal messages about the suitability of women being meek and submissive and dependent on somebody else for their life's decisions and happiness. It is very hard to fight against the current. But, bit by bit, little by little, we have to.
Puttachi is completely into dolls and babies, and much of her play revolves around her dolls getting married and having babies .... but yet, when she was watching Brave, where the queen tells Merida that all girls should get married, Puttachi said, "That's so silly. We should get married only if we want to. And we should have babies only if we feel like." I relaxed. As long as she knows that..... :)
Similarly, the way we talk to girls, the stories we tell them, the role models we point out to them - all this matters in what they think of themselves and their abilities. And this holds good for boys too! Responsible parenting of boys involves raising them to respect women and believe in their abilities. Because, just as girls are exposed to society's messages, boys are too!
A Mighty Girl shares a lot of links to news of smart, independent girls who make a difference in their own lives, and the lives of people around them. They point to books and movies that portray girls and women in a positive light, and show that girls can do anything that they want to. They also link to articles that show how to talk to girls (and to boys too) so that they all grow up with a healthy respect for themselves and their abilities, and that of the other sex.
Please share other links, resources in the comments. Thank you.
Puttachi is completely into dolls and babies, and much of her play revolves around her dolls getting married and having babies .... but yet, when she was watching Brave, where the queen tells Merida that all girls should get married, Puttachi said, "That's so silly. We should get married only if we want to. And we should have babies only if we feel like." I relaxed. As long as she knows that..... :)
Similarly, the way we talk to girls, the stories we tell them, the role models we point out to them - all this matters in what they think of themselves and their abilities. And this holds good for boys too! Responsible parenting of boys involves raising them to respect women and believe in their abilities. Because, just as girls are exposed to society's messages, boys are too!
A Mighty Girl shares a lot of links to news of smart, independent girls who make a difference in their own lives, and the lives of people around them. They point to books and movies that portray girls and women in a positive light, and show that girls can do anything that they want to. They also link to articles that show how to talk to girls (and to boys too) so that they all grow up with a healthy respect for themselves and their abilities, and that of the other sex.
Please share other links, resources in the comments. Thank you.
1 comment:
Love the way Puttachi is reasoning out!
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