I write this article as a woman who was raised to dream big, it is priceless when our society encourages women to create their own future. Don't raise your daughter to have more than you had, but more than you thought.
A girl’s self-confidence drops during puberty, they go through a lot of physical and psychological changes. We have to assure them at every vulnerable stage that their uniqueness is their greatest virtue and strength. I work with schools across Mumbai and conduct workshops for young girls in the age group of 10 to 16, the sole purpose of connecting with our future game changers is to talk to them about the importance of a world without boundaries and inhibitions. We need to teach our daughters to trust more and fear less, this is the first step towards raising an army of strong women. Let them be around wide eyed, take risks, laugh loud, live big and question every norm.
Here is an interesting incident, when I talk to girls who are in their pre-teens as compared to teenagers; there is a stark difference in the way they perceive themselves. The younger girls are more open minded, the older girls seem to be tough on themselves and have a slightly more negative attitude towards self worth.
Curiosity leads to genius
A curious child is more self assured and confident. Her curiosity could help her develop new skills and evaluate options. The healthiest way to nurture her mind is to let her chase her passion and be completely absorbed, this will also boost her self esteem. All of us are creative and have the power to imagine great things, listen to what her passion is trying to tell you.
Encourage a positive body image
Girls do not decide to hate their bodies, we teach them to. Our society plays a major role in instilling unreal beauty standards and expectations. These issues start at a very young age and remain within us for a really long time. Her real beauty should be evaluated in the way they focus, love and nurture.
Let them make mistakes
Making mistakes is good, a lot of girls feel enormous pressure to be ‘perfect’ this leads to a negative attitude towards making mistakes. Adults have a restrictive mindset towards kids “don’t do this”, we need to rearrange these mental blocks. Mistakes are the best way to explore and learn, if you haven’t tried something how can you decide if its good or bad for you. Let your daughter feel responsible for her decisions, she will grow into a confident young woman.
Uniqueness is power
Our world is redefining the traditional norms of beauty, more and more women are coming forward and accepting their uniqueness and individuality. Building her mental strength is priority, praise them for their efforts and let them make audacious goals. Her uniqueness is beautiful, it is not just limited to the way she looks but to the way she thinks.
Daughters are precious, a positive role model will help them blossom into a positive and self assured young woman. Encourage your girls to be brave and courageous, everything that challenges her will make her stronger, ignite her imagination.
By Pooja Kochar