Empowering girls with confidence and inner strength is top of mind these days as my six-year-old daughter’s next birthday approaches.

I talk to her often about the importance of beauty and brains, why inner strength and perseverance are the keys to success, and how to overcome failure.

But is it enough? It seems like all those lessons are negated by the images on TV, lyrics on top 40 radio, and often in our daily social interactions.

So what’s a mom to do?

INSPIRE.

Whether we want to believe it or not, our daughters are affected by the world around them – some for the better, some for the worse. As moms, we are given the blessed opportunity of being their most trusted resource for navigating this crazy world. It’s our duty to live up to that. Next time you’re settled in watching a movie, TV show, or even reading a magazine look for examples of empowered girls, successful women, courageous females, etc. While the rest of the world might be throwing negative role models their way, it’s your job to highlight the positive ones for them to aspire to. Teaching our daughters the difference between positive and negative role models early on will help them differentiate on their own later. This will be critical when they’re entering the teen years and more easily influenced by their peers.

EDUCATE.

Education breeds confidence and inner strength. The more educated your daughter is, the more empowered she is to tackle the obstacles that come her way. Instead of falling victim to fear and uncertainty when faced with adversity, she will have resources to guide her decision-making. She won’t look to the world to steer her moral compass, she will have already learned how to chart her own course -from you! Fill her heart and soul with so many amazing and inspiring lessons that she won’t need late night TV to tell her how to act or believe. She already knows.

CHALLENGE.

As mothers, it’s only natural to want to protect our children from negative situations like bullying and peer pressure. However, when we constantly stand up for our children they never have a chance to stand up FOR THEMSELVES.  Fast forward to high school and instead of being ready to face teen drama with confidence they’re looking for mommy.  Sadly, our best intentions as moms can actually be sabotaging our kids. Instead of rushing in to solve your child’s problems, challenge them to solve it for themselves.  In the beginning they will need quit a bit of guidance, but over time they will become more and more independent in their problem solving. Not only will their confidence get a boost, but yours as well. You will know exactly how your child will handle a situation because you’ve walked them through it countless times before.

While there are many more strategies I could mention here, I’d rather leave some room for YOU to chime in. What empowering girls tips do you have to share?

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