I’ve had the privilege over the years to have been a teacher, an aunt and most recently a mother. Being a positive role model for my students, my nieces, my nephew and my daughter is a responsibility that I think about a lot. In particular, as my daughter turns into a toddler and becomes more aware of her surroundings, I am reflecting more on my role in empowering her as a young girl. I have realized that there are resources that I automatically go to when I’m looking for inspiration. I have pulled together five of my favorites to share with you all.
Mighty Girl
This is a website entirely focused on empowering girls. It has collated a huge amount of resources, from books to toys that highlight girl positivity. I particularly like their Facebook page where they post about a different ‘Mighty Girl’ each day. It is fascinating reading about women who I have never heard of and read their stories. I can’t wait to start talking about them with my daughter when she is a bit older.
I first heard about this running program through my sister-in-law who recently enrolled my eldest niece. It was really great hearing how inspired and encouraged my niece has felt taking part. I really like the idea that the program promotes both positive emotional and physical well being. We’re looking forward to cheering my niece on in the race she will be running in finish off the program. You can find a local program by typing in your zip code here.
Books
I love reading! We are lucky that there is an ever widening range of empowering books to spark conversations with the girls in our lives. Some of my favorites that I’m collecting for my daughter include:
“Little People Big Dreams” Series – there are many different books about different pioneering people, women and men alike. I like this set as a starter for toddler readers, but there are others aimed at older children too.
“Grace for President” by Kelly DuPicchio. “The Queen Engineer” by Suzanne Hemming. “This Little Trailblazer” by Joan Holub.
Community
I’ve challenged myself to look at the women around me and take note of their achievements. Underrepresented in mainstream media, I want to counter this with my daughter by talking and pointing out women in the community who are achieving all kinds of things. Teachers, family and friends are all around us. There are a huge amount of women who I want my daughter to grow up noticing.
Yourself
As I was looking for external resources to recommend, I kept circling round to the actions and behavior of myself. Whether you have sons or daughters, as parents we have a huge influence. I am keenly aware of this and it is also important to try a few things so we ourselves feel empowered. Find the people who inspire you, take care of yourself, do something you love, make time for friends. If I start there, then I hope I can show my daughter what being empowered looks like.
What are your favorite resources that you use to empower the girls around you? I’d love to hear about more!
