For the last few years I have read the news and read the statistics about young girls and the increase in depression, eating disorders, suicide, sexual activity, and violence and thought to myself "thank goodness I have a boy!" Well, now I have a girl and the statistics can be frightening.
I just read a good article on IVillage about what Mothers can do to help their daughters be strong from the inside out. And by that they mean being less concerned about dress size, bra size, colour of your hair, or the clothes you wear and be confident of who you are as a person.
I don't think this is something you can start too early and I think we need to be careful of what we expose our young girls to. But the most important strategy for Mothers is to focus on themselves and be confident role models for their daughters. If your daughter hears you obsessing about your weight, what message does that send about what is important? Or when a Father makes a comment about a woman's weight as they walk by? These are small things we often do unconsciously but can be very powerful.
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About a year ago, I happened to be driving by the local elementary school around 3pm. At the time, I had one girl, and was driving to my friend's house, who has two boys. I was a bit horrified when I saw a girl who looked about 8 years old walking out of the school. She had on big earrings, makeup and clothes, that in my opinion, were too old for her. When I got to my friend's house, I told her what I saw and said "you are so lucky to have boys...". Not that boys won't have their challenges, but I did think there is a lot of pressure on girls to look older, dress too skimpy, keep their weight down, etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteAgree 100%. Girls seem to be pressured to mature so much earlier these days. The Hannah Montana's of the world are not much help...
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