Girl Power. In a day of millions of selfies, tweets, posts and texting we are in a massive influx of females that feel unattractive, inadequate and insignificant. Social media is one of many factors to blame for young women who do not possess girl power. Our young women receive an airbrushed message from the world about what is acceptable. Their body, way too often, defines them. Self value has been twisted to be nothing more than artificial and unattainable. It has to be instilled In order for our young ladies to be confident, healthy and well balanced. We must stress the importance of girl power and pave the path to make it a reality.
When our young women have a shaky foundation of what it is to be female, it can be difficult to rewire their thinking. It’s difficult, but not impossible. It is so important to define and embrace what it means to be a strong, healthy female. This starts with the need to teach our girls to LOVE themselves. Bottom line, when there’s a disconnect between identity and loving you, being healthy in all aspects of life is near impossible.
What are some ingredients to lay the foundation for our young woman to possess both girl power and self love? There are a combination of factors that can do crazy amazing things. Let’s get our crazy goodness on!
The importance of girl power…
Love is a powerful word that is not instantaneous. For our girls to ‘get’ that there is significance in loving yourself, they must believe they are worthy of love. Here’s where you come in, remind them. Every single day, whether verbally, in a note, text or chatting on the phone they must hear those three words. May they hear it a million times before they walk out of your house for the last time and transition into the real world. They need these words to be etched in their hearts desperately. Our words lay the groundwork and build the protective barrier in their hearts when all the words, actions and messages they receive counter true love. The world, their peers and social media can be brutal. May you shower them with ‘I love you’ in a million different ways.
We have greater influence than we often realize. Our example matters big time. We want our girls to be healthy, happy and well balanced. Want some AWESOME advice? Refrain from gossiping about other people in front of them. We have way too much drama amongst the female population. If they hear you ramble on about that friend or colleague as a norm, they will see it as nothing but the norm. Kick that sucker out of the equation. Gossip free is the way to be.Seriously, think about that for a second.
Drama free zone…
Teach them to love not only themselves, but other females. We need to lift one another up rather than strip each other down. Gossip is a cancer. If you need to vent to your spouse in private, your friend on the phone or via text. Just keep those lips tight when it comes to the drama train. One of the best traits of a strong, healthy female is one who does her own thing and is not distracted by the crappy luring of drama. Girl power!
To teach self love is to remind them that they are not perfect and were never intended to be. They are beautifully created and their is beauty in being comfortable in their own skin. Refrain from complaining about your own body in front of your kids. They hear you. Your hips may jut out, those thighs may not fit into that size jeans you wanted and you may not be 100% happy with your physique. Guess what? You set the example. It’s totally awesome to strive to be in shape and eat healthy. What is not ok is to want our kids to love their bodies while we complain about our own. We will never be perfect. There will be areas we’d love to tweak and adjust, but just as we want our kids to love them we must start by providing that example. Love you, all of it.
We must love ourselves and provide the example for our kids to see that loving your body is powerful and awesome…
It is so easy to get in the clutches of the physical focus. As a female, it’s difficult to not place your value in your appearance. It’s really tough. A balance must be found in praising, acknowledging both the external and the internal. Send the message that they’re beautiful, but allow the internal praise to outweigh the external. Build their confidence in their abilities, talents, ambition, character and personality. When all our eggs are in the basket of appearance we send the message that self worth is intertwined with appearance. Run for the hills with that mentality, because it sets our kids up for a shallow form of identity.
Another SUPER important strategy is sending the message that they are a whole, awesome person before they ever have a significant other. Kids have SO much pressure to be in a relationship it’s crazy. Refrain from adding to that pressure. It’s totally normal to date, but what isn’t is when our young ladies believe there is something wrong with them when they are not in a relationship. Way too many of our girls believe they are defective or strange if not in a relationship. There are those who want to feel cared for and loved and can seek this out in all the wrong ways. Too often, when we don’t love ourselves it’s much easier to compromise our values and convictions in the pursuit of acceptance and affection.
Steer clear of the ever so notorious question….
If I could tell you HOW MANY girls have said to me how grating and gutting getting asked for the millionth time, “do you have a boyfriend?” Avoid making this a once a week or even once a month question or topic. When it is heard constantly what they are hearing is, there is something wrong with you if you don’t have one (and now you’re reminding them of that) or you NEED one and it’s abnormal if you don’t. Dude, fight the boyfriend cuing with all your might. It sends a million negative messages life flair lights at midnight. Run away.
Girl power can not be underrated, ever. We need more strong women who love, respect and value who they are as a female. When this happens, it’s a beautiful (and contagious) thing. Implement these strategies. Love on your kids and know they grow up so quickly. On those days that seem more uphill than level ground, remember, they are your gift and some day you’ll miss the craziness. Keep going, encouraging and loving. Know YOU are the greatest role model your child can ever have.
Peace, love and girl power!
