Tips for Raising Happy and Confident Daughters

Boosting confidence of daughters is essential so that they can face and protect themselves from the harsh realities of this world fearlessly. Here are some tips for raising happy and confident daughters.

Raising daughters well is not easy as the world today is still riddled by male chauvinism and gender biases. Though messages for women empowerment and female power are being spread by all media channels it is a hard fact that many young girls suffer from low self esteem, body image issues and low confidence along with anxiety. Here are some tips which will help you raise happy and confident daughters.

1. Uproot the Base of Gender Biases

Gender biases is not only demonstrated at work and in the civil society the roots go in much deeper. The way people treat girls and boys differently is demonstrated in the way that sports car illustrated notebooks are brought for little girls and sparkling Barbie designed notebooks are brought for little girls. As a parent you should never make your little girl feel that she has to choose certain kinds of roses, toys and behave in a certain way just because she is a girl. Give your little girl the space and freedom to be her own self.

2. Practice Imparting Sex Education

Sex education should be introduced early especially for girls as the statistics still show a higher prevalence of sexual abuse (especially amongst children) in females. Teach your girl about appropriate and inappropriate ways of touching the body and what types of body parts are not supposed to be touched by anybody. Also start talking about the opposite sex, safe sex and < ahref="/raising-children/135_5830/raise-daughters-with-positive-body-image.html">body image issues as your daughter grows older. The world today is flooded with inappropriate media content and it is very easy for a young impressionable girl to cultivate wrong ideas unless she has supportive parents to guide her.

3. Practice Respect for Women Yourself

The best way to teach your girl to respect herself is to practice respecting women yourself. If you are a man and are reading this then show respect for your partner at all times. If you are a woman do not make derogatory comments about yourself and be body obsessed in front of your little girl. For most young girls their mother is the role model so if she has a strong and confident personality it helps in enhancing the daughter’s personality too.

4. Teach Conviction

The roots of low self confidence sometimes go so deep in women that for them many statements start with questions or caveats like “ I am not sure but” or “I don’t know if”. These are the kind of sentences that reflect a self doubting attitude. Teach your little girl to talk in assertive and polite tones. Tell her that there is nothing wrong and shameful in expressing her opinion even if she thinks differently. Also explain the fact that nobody has the right to belittle her opinions and attitude just because she is female.

5. Teach Independence

Strong and independent women are happier in life so practice teaching independence from a young age. Ask your little girl to pack her own bag, do her own chores and take care of her own needs. It is natural for your little girl to read fairy-tales but often these very books preach dependence and self pity to girls. Explain her fact that she might be a princess but she is more than capable of slaying her own demons and dragons without waiting for prince charming or the proverbial knight in shining armour. Also ask her not ask for undue favours or help just because she is a girl. Independence and self reliance often have a price and your daughter must be taught to be able to pay it.The world today needs stronger and more confident women and with a little effort you can make sure that your daughter is one of them.

What are the secrets to raise happy and confident daughters? Why is it necessary to impart sex education to girls early? How to protect girls from gender discrimination and male chauvinism? Discuss here.