How to raise strong women. Women of strength are all around us…..today we're talking about raising the next generation of strong females!
Thank you to Zenni Optical for helping us to share our thoughts on this topic.
Mom: / glasses c/o Zenni Optical / shorts / tee / sandals c/o Swedish Hasbeens /
Lydia: / glasses c/o Zenni Optical / shorts / sandals / hair bow c/o Little Poppy Co /
Pictures by Mily Cooper Photography
“I want her to be a strong woman.” That was my first thought when we found out we were having a baby girl. Isn't it every mother's? Our society has come a long way, but it's still tough to be a woman sometimes. We are gently pushed into certain career paths, we hit glass ceilings, we are expected to have certain personality traits and are judged for having others.
The older Lydia gets, the more I've been thinking about how I can encourage her to be a strong woman.
Encouraging Her to Speak Her Mind: Women are often taught to be accepting or cooperative. Teamwork and cooperation is important, but so is being able to speak up for what you want or need. How do you do this with a toddler? We're starting simple. Encouraging Lydia to ask for what she wants, honoring her when she does, and modeling that same behavior as adults.
Standing Up For Those Less Fortunate: Strong women who have made a mark in the history books? They stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. Whether fighting for freedom from slavery, the right to vote, or the right to work……throughout history our strongest female role models have fought for the rights of many. As a teacher in an inner-city school, I hope to model this behavior for my own daughter on a daily basis. But, how do we ask HER to do that? With the people she knows. If a friend is sad, we ask her to help. If someone needs something (as simple as a snack or a toy) we encourage her to speak up. It makes me so proud to see her starting to do this on her own!
Removing Negative Descriptors for Strong Behavior: Bossy? Aggressive? The B-word? Funny how you rarely hear men being described this way, right? In our household, we are trying our best to remove these words from our vocabulary when describing behavior. Instead we are using words like strong or phrases like “thank you for trying to help, but it is ____________'s turn right now.”
One of my favorite things about raising a daughter? I get to see female leaders everywhere and share them with her. Our partner Zenni Optical? They love female leaders too! They're working to celebrate the positive impact these leaders have on our communities, and to ensure that they can be seen physically through the gift of stylish and affordable eyewear.
Zenni Optical makes beautiful, affordable glasses AND sunglasses like the ones Lydia and I are wearing in these pictures (side note, she wears these sunglasses EVERYDAY and refuses to take them off even after dark). Their curated collections allow all family members to purchase affordable prescription or non-prescription glasses with ease.
To celebrate Zenni's vision of strong women and raising the next generation of them……we are teaming up with them today to give one of YOU a pair of glasses. Yup, even prescription ones!
So mamas, what are you doing to raise the next generation of strong women?
Emmy says
June 15, 2016 at 11:27 amGreat post! I think a lot of it comes down to helping them understand who they truly are and the purpose of this life, if they truly understand that and their worth then it makes the rest of the path a lot easier.
Kendra says
June 15, 2016 at 11:34 amLydia is going to be such an awesome woman!
Phyrra says
June 15, 2016 at 11:49 amGreat post! While I don’t have children, if I did, one thing I would do is teach them to lift weights because I think it gives a feeling of self confidence, plus teaches them to live a healthy lifestyle.
Jamie says
June 15, 2016 at 12:43 pmMy advice would be to teach your children to try and do things on their own before asking for help.
Kate | My Mommy Brain says
June 15, 2016 at 1:07 pmDon’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something just because you are a woman. And if they do, prove them wrong!
lynzy says
June 15, 2016 at 2:47 pmMy advice is to always give them enough space to grow confidently
Jamie| Makeup Life and Love says
June 15, 2016 at 2:54 pmI absolutely LOVE this post! Great advice and loveeeee it all!
shannon fowler says
June 15, 2016 at 8:24 pmmy advice is to never focus on being a certain weight but instead focus on nutrition and health. also focus on their strengths and point them out
Sandy a la Mode says
June 15, 2016 at 10:12 pmummmmmmm you girls are SO cute!!!!
Jeanne Coulombe says
June 16, 2016 at 2:55 amTeach them to be independent, we taught our daughter that she can do anything she puts her mind to and never let anyone tell her elsewise. She graduated with high honors then went on to collage and graduated top of her class. She now has a great job and she loves it!
sandra says
June 16, 2016 at 5:10 amraise their self confidence
Julie says
June 16, 2016 at 5:15 amMy advice is to let kids have responsibilities and let them do things even if it is hard and this will help them build up their confidence if they take on challenges and persevere. We as parents need to let our kids take on things that might not be comfortable.
Becca Z says
June 16, 2016 at 8:22 amwhat worked for me was being encouraged to read (and restricted on tv), I read tons of books about lots of strong woman from a very young age
Andrea Darst says
June 16, 2016 at 11:52 amI love this post! My mom always taught me that being strong also means it’s ok to be vulnerable sometimes, and to be compassionate.
Laura says
June 16, 2016 at 2:16 pmI would say to always be supportive and let them know that they can be anything that they want to as long as they work hard enough.
Michelle says
June 16, 2016 at 11:19 pmI think confidence and self esteem is important in being a strong woman.
Holly says
June 17, 2016 at 2:40 amTo never let anyone tell you that your opinions don’t matter.
Rebecca says
June 17, 2016 at 8:04 amI think every opportunity you get to build up their confidence, do it! Makes for a strong confident person!
Casi Selph says
June 17, 2016 at 9:41 amAlways support them, and push them to step outside their comfort zone!! I think it’s also important for them to know that nothing in this world is free and we must always put our best foot forward and work hard no matter what!! And to always dream BIG!!
Andi says
June 17, 2016 at 9:50 amTeach them how to be independent from a young age. I think encouraging solo travel is awesome at the right age!
Connie says
June 17, 2016 at 10:00 amTeach your daughters to do it all. Never rely on anyone else!! Both of my daughters can change the oil in the cars, fix a flat tire and fix a leaky toilet.
Be independent!! You can do anything you want!
Lisa Williams says
June 17, 2016 at 10:07 amMake sure you tell her smart and capable she is and that she can be whatever she wants and that she has a right to find her happiness.
Lauryn R says
June 17, 2016 at 10:24 amMy best advice on how to raise a strong woman is to set an example of this by being strong and confident yourself! Allowing them to learn from their mistakes is important as well.
Margot Core says
June 17, 2016 at 10:32 amDon’t just compliment them all the time on how they look!
Hope says
June 17, 2016 at 11:03 amTeach her to always be herself.
Kim Pincombe Cole says
June 17, 2016 at 11:09 amMy advice is to be honest & share our own insecurities. We grow stronger from acknowledging our weaknesses & learning from them!
Heather Hollands says
June 17, 2016 at 11:45 amRaise strong women by giving them opportunities to use their voice.
Sarah L says
June 17, 2016 at 4:48 pmBe a role model and introduce her to other strong women.
Thanks for the contest.
Dagmar says
June 17, 2016 at 5:11 pmShow them how to be confident in themselves!
Paol says
June 17, 2016 at 5:21 pmBesides teaching your daughters to embrace their uniqueness but you have to show them through verbal and physical communication (i.e body language, verbal tone/pitch, and so on).
amy pugmire says
June 17, 2016 at 6:36 pmTo stay true to yourself and confident with who you are! Your kids will follow your example!
kesha says
June 17, 2016 at 6:40 pmBe yourself and genuine!
lovely joy merced says
June 17, 2016 at 6:46 pmmy advice is give time to your kids and show how important they are, in that way they’ll feel loved and spread love to everyone, the love and time that we can give to them will make them stronger!
Michelle C says
June 18, 2016 at 5:06 amI have three kids, two are girls. I’ve always stressed to all of my kids that they can do whatever they want. I don’t enforce gender stereotypes by having my girls wear girl colors and having my son only play with boy toys. I work in a male dominated field, so I feel like I am setting an example.
Anne says
June 18, 2016 at 9:09 amA strong woman knows how to make a “failure” a motivator to get where she needs to be. She never lets anything control her destiny.
Penni says
June 18, 2016 at 11:17 amBe the strongest role model you can be, every day, and offer lots of support and positive reinforcement for similarly strong behavior in the girls you want to inspire!
Marilyn Legault says
June 18, 2016 at 11:35 amIt never hurts to build up their confidence and esteem while they are young.
Laurent Legault says
June 18, 2016 at 11:41 amLet them make their mistakes while young and don’t criticize them. They need building up not knocking down.
Katherine Oliveira says
June 18, 2016 at 3:47 pmTeach them to be independent , and give encouragement!
Debbie Clauer says
June 18, 2016 at 6:04 pmLet them be themselves, lots of encouragement and minimal criticism.
Jenesse says
June 19, 2016 at 5:31 pmThank you for this! So many great things about it. I think the best advice is to surround yourself with people who support you and to always fight for yourself and others.
Ashley says
June 19, 2016 at 8:03 pmWomen need to have respect for others- always using their manners and listening to their elders!
Ellen Casper says
June 20, 2016 at 11:57 amNever Let Anyone Take Advantage of You
Kathy Clark says
June 20, 2016 at 3:46 pmHelp them to believe in their abilities and beauty by complimenting and encouraging them every day!
SHIRLEY SYMON says
June 21, 2016 at 12:54 pmMy one piece of advice is to always be yourself both personally and professionally. Lead by example. Do the best you can in everything you do because you want not to be rewarded.
Brandon Sparks says
June 21, 2016 at 3:28 pmNever back down and always keep your word
Steve says
June 21, 2016 at 4:02 pmMy best piece of advice is support them and don’t hold them back from anything.
Joel says
June 21, 2016 at 4:27 pmMy advice is to teach them they can be whatever they want to be.
Michelle H says
June 22, 2016 at 10:55 amI refuse to let anyone force my daughter to do anything she doesn’t want to do, even if it’s Daddy tickling her or asking for a hug and kiss.
Karren says
June 24, 2016 at 12:11 pmALways be true to yourself and always speak what you feel, no one can argue with your feelings!!
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
June 25, 2016 at 7:58 amFirst of all, your daughter is absolutely adorable!!! I have two daughters of my own and this is such a great post! These are all important lessons that we should be teaching our girls and it’s always nice to get a reminder like this. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
Mistie says
June 27, 2016 at 5:54 pmAwesome post! You ladies are beautiful also! Thanks for sharing.
Pamela Li (Rookie Parenting) says
August 12, 2016 at 10:45 pmWhat a great list! “Encourage her to speak her mind” is my #1, too. 🙂
Salomon says
February 14, 2017 at 3:08 amMy one piece of advice is to always be yourself both personally and professionally.