5 Tips for Raising Strong Girls

I’m sharing CURAD® in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™ #CURAD #SoothePlus

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

Raising a strong girl is important to me. I want Maddie Grace to know that she can do anything in life. I want her to be able to stand up for herself. I want her to be a world changer. I want her to be independent and more than anything to have the strength to just be herself in this world. I’ve told Tom my goal as a mother is to raise kids who by 18 are strong enough to be totally fine in life if both Tom and I were to die. It doesn’t matter that she’s a girl. I want her to be strong, to know her worth, to be hard working, and to be independent.

So what’s my plan for raising a strong girl?

1. Speak affirmations to her. Every day at least once a day I tell Maddie Grace to repeat me and say “I’m a strong girl.” We also do “I’m a smart girl. I’m a pretty girl. I’m a nice girl. I’m a funny girl.” Now she will say these things on her own. And every time she says “I’m a strong girl” she shows me her muscles with her elbows touching which is the cutest thing ever. She will also say things like “oh mommy I can carry that because I’m a strong girl” or “mommy you can open that package because you’re a strong girl like me” so I know that these words are getting through to her. If she knows that she is a strong girl, nobody can say otherwise.

2. Love myself. Girls are going to mimic their mothers. If you say “I’m fat” or “my nose is too big” they are going to start thinking the same things about their own bodies. I think all girls do this to some extent, but it’s good to be conscious about what body cues you send to your daughter. If you love yourself and you model a strong woman to your daughter, that is what she is going to tend to embody herself.

3. Encourage strong and healthy male relationships. For us, it’s with Maddie Grace’s father and grandfathers. But it could also be a step-parent, uncle, etc. When girls have men in their lives who treat them with kindness, respect, and integrity, then they are going to grow up to expect these things out of the men who they have relationships with. It’s also crucial to model a healthy

4. Push her to be physically active. The word strong can mean different things. It can mean being emotionally and mentally strong, but it also literally means having body strength. I encourage outdoor time every day to get Maddie Grace physically active. She also loves to do yoga, dance, and has a new obsession with gymnastics (she hasn’t even been to a class yet). It’s important to teach girls that being physically strong isn’t just for men!

5. Allow them to fall and to fail. Every parenting book I’ve ever read has echoed on the importance of allowing kids to fail – and I think this is especially true with girls. I’ve known parents who refuse to allow their girls to fail. And I don’t believe those girls ever grow to their full potential. But figuring out how to implement this in toddlers is hard. Part of it I think is letting them explore the world understanding there could be little scrapes and scratches here and there. That’s why I love having CURAD® SoothePlus™ in my bag to care for my little girl when this happens. She obviously deserves the best, and I want to keep her wounds as comfortable as possible CURAD® also reduces wound odor with the soothing, odor-fighting properties of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda. With how hot it’s been in Atlanta this summer, comfort and odor control are essential when dealing with my kids cuts and scrapes.

What do you do to make sure you daughter grows up into a strong woman? Would love to hear more below!