**UPDATE: Deadline extended to Friday, February 1 @ 8:00am**
As many of you know, my third child (after 2 boys) is a girl. As soon as she was born, pink stuff started to descend upon my house in glittery waves. Pink shirts, pink pants, pink shoes, pink socks -- pink, pink, pink. And along with it, things that said "Princess" all over them.
My feminist self reared up in annoyance. I looked over my own closet. There is only one pink shirt in there (and it's shoved to the back because I hardly ever wear it). Why did everyone feel a need to paint my baby girl pink? (in truth, her gorgeous blue eyes make BLUE her best color!) I'm worried enough about raising a strong, self-confident young woman... all this pink just seems to make me more stressed out, let me tell you. What exactly does "princess" entail? Not to mention that whole Jewish princess stereotype problem....
So I've thought about it. Because she sure is cute and let me tell you, some of those pink outfits are truly adorable. Here's my decision: I think that my daughter can wear adorable clothes and hair clips as long as I also give her strong lessons in girl power.
Which is why I'm so excited for this giveaway, which I feel blends adorable girl-stuff with a strong female role model!
What will you win?
Any 2 items of your choice from Oopsie Dazie...check out their adorable hairclips, headbands, bows, and headwraps. Aren't they cute? and affordable, too.
AND
one copy of The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch - my favorite princess story in which the princess stereotype is turned upside down! (And by the way it's my 2-y.o. BOY's current favorite. He likes the dragon.)
(shipped separately)
Rules and other Information -- How can you win?
1. Make a comment here. How do you instill confidence and strength in girls? This is your entry! U.S. shipping only, sorry Robin & other international folks.
2. For an extra entry, post on your blog or tell a friend about this giveaway and Oopsie Dazie and link back to me.
3. Don't forget to give me a way to get in touch with you if you win!
4.This giveaway ends on Thursday, January 31st at 9pm Central Time. Winner will be announced Friday morning!
**UPDATE: Deadline extended to Friday, February 1 @ 8:00am** Winner announced shortly afterwards.
See more Bloggy Giveaways here...
P.S. Like what you see? Subscribe to my blog's feed....
My feminist self reared up in annoyance. I looked over my own closet. There is only one pink shirt in there (and it's shoved to the back because I hardly ever wear it). Why did everyone feel a need to paint my baby girl pink? (in truth, her gorgeous blue eyes make BLUE her best color!) I'm worried enough about raising a strong, self-confident young woman... all this pink just seems to make me more stressed out, let me tell you. What exactly does "princess" entail? Not to mention that whole Jewish princess stereotype problem....
So I've thought about it. Because she sure is cute and let me tell you, some of those pink outfits are truly adorable. Here's my decision: I think that my daughter can wear adorable clothes and hair clips as long as I also give her strong lessons in girl power.
Which is why I'm so excited for this giveaway, which I feel blends adorable girl-stuff with a strong female role model!
What will you win?
Any 2 items of your choice from Oopsie Dazie...check out their adorable hairclips, headbands, bows, and headwraps. Aren't they cute? and affordable, too.
AND
one copy of The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch - my favorite princess story in which the princess stereotype is turned upside down! (And by the way it's my 2-y.o. BOY's current favorite. He likes the dragon.)
(shipped separately)
Rules and other Information -- How can you win?
1. Make a comment here. How do you instill confidence and strength in girls? This is your entry! U.S. shipping only, sorry Robin & other international folks.
2. For an extra entry, post on your blog or tell a friend about this giveaway and Oopsie Dazie and link back to me.
3. Don't forget to give me a way to get in touch with you if you win!
4.
**UPDATE: Deadline extended to Friday, February 1 @ 8:00am** Winner announced shortly afterwards.
See more Bloggy Giveaways here...
P.S. Like what you see? Subscribe to my blog's feed....
165 comments:
My almost 2-1/2 year old daughter is my first. When I put clothes in my washing machine it tends to look like someone spilled Pepto Bismol in there by accident. Yet, we own only two items with Princess on them. And while I adore my daughter like a princess, I too was concerned about the negative conotaion of a Jewish princess. How do I instill confidence and strength in my little girl? I hope that to some degree I emulate those things for her. I also surround her with strong women who she can learn from as much as possible. When we play we aren't just princesses, but lots of different characters and there is no association with gender. Her dad is also a nurse...that proves that gender doesn't dictate career.
LOL. Actually, I have a US mailing address that I use for giveaways, but I was planning on sitting this one out anywhere. Sadly for me I couldn't get my daughter to put a clip, or heaven forbid a ponytail, in her hair if my very life depended on it!
what a sweetie. and what a great giveaway! :)
i think one way we can instill strength and confidence in girls by shielding them (especially when they are young) from unrealistic/unhealthy body images in magazines, commercials, etc., and by teaching them to love themselves. let them know they are perfect and loved as they are.
I tried to so hard to keep pink away from my older daughter. But she found it on her own as she got older. It's inevitable. Just as long as we give the confidence of blue.
I also had my first girl after 2 boys! She is now almost 4, and most of the pink invasion as subsided :-) BUT we had to make "The Barbie Decision" last year when someone gave her one, which she was in love with. It took us a few months, but we decided to quietly make Barbie and her friend Tara, and their friend Steve disappear never to return. We simply couldn't live with the lack of clothing and gigantic, out-of-proportion boobs. As much for modesty reasons as role-model reasons. We have made a gigantic effort to find dolls and toys that are age and gender appropriate (Groovy Girls make soft dolls that are wonderful, as well as the ubiquitous American Girl dolls for older kids). We also decided to find activities that had good girl role models (she begins Brownies next year - I was a girl scout for years) and books that back that up. Does she still love to play princess dress up? Yep. And that's ok. She's engaging in age-appropriate pretend play. I am mildly girly and it would be silly to think she isn't affected by watching me put on my make up and jewelry and asking my husband if I match. But we try to make a conscious effort in front of all three children to talk about "being healthy" rather than thin or fat, and trying not to talk about what other people think about the way we look. I think the biggest shock to us was how hard this actually is. We didn't realize how much image played a part in our everyday lives, especially as the rabbi and rabbi's wife of a congregation. It's been tough. But I think ultimately we'll make an impact. I hope!! So sorry this was so long!
I just try to always tell my daughter that the strength lies in herself and she can do anything she wants. We incorporate the princess theme to make her an empowered princess rather than a sit around and wait to be rescued princess!
The best way is to be very supportive and encouraging. Thanks for the giveaway :)
i went to an all women's college and was confident that my girls wouldn't wear pink and play with dolls.... but sigh...that's what they want to do (well when they aren't outside playing soccer). so i guess we're 50-50
thanks for the giveaway!
I agree! Go for the girl power! I don't have a girl yet but hope to have one someday. There are so many cultural expectations for girls and to help break those barriers is a wonderful gift to your child.
These are so cute. I have a baby girl!
Those cheeks! Those eyes! Beautiful.
OOoohh...we have two girls and would love this. I try to teach them confidence by reading books with strong female characters. I live overseas but have a US shipping address...can I still enter?
Right now, my daughter is naturally fearless. I do my very best not to transmit my own fears and doubts to her.
My daughter is 8 months but I think all girls need to stay true to themselves.
So cute! I love hair clips for my 6 month old.
Great giveaway. That's one of my favorite books. We try to instill confidence in our girls by telling them how beautiful they are in our eyes and in the eyes of Our Creator, who designed them perfectly and wonderfully. Daddy dates make them feel special too.
We have an 8 yr old boy, who we've taught to be a gentleman, open doors, ladies first..etc. Now that we have a daughter, 5 mos. I want to teach her that SHE can do anything, open her own doors for instance.
I try to instill confidence in girls by praising and complimenting on them for the things that the world may not like having a kind heart, being polite, smart, etc.
Great giveaway! Count me in :0)
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
I have 3 daughters and I hope to raise them as confident and proud in themselves. We do have a ton of pink and 'princess' type stuff, but try to avoid it whenever possible (not very easy since almost everything for girls is made in pink). I try to be the best role model for them as possible since I know that they will emulate what they see. :)
I love Oopsie Daisy, I have purchased their clips before for my daughter. We're girly girls here. Proudly. Anyhow, great giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win!
katie at dekabyte dot com
My 4yo daughter has lately started saying "Boys are big, girls are smart" I have no idea where she got this, but she obviously doens't have any confidence problems. LOL
I have a son, and I am due with a girl next month. I just pray that I can instill confidence and strength to her as she grows up!
laura_licious101~at~hotmail~dot~com
I think there are two(well, many, many more than that) important things which we must do as parents to help our daughters grow up strong. Instead of sheltering them from all the negatives(IE: no barbie type dolls, etc.) we need to first be a good example. Strong, emotionally healthy mothers raise strong and emotionally healthy daughters. Second, they need to be involved in activities! Sitting around the house, doing nothing, is not going to make anyone feel good about themselves. Neither is burnout, so of course don't OVER schedule them.
The reason I don't see a point in sheltering is because it's just not realistic. They are going to see images of women who they will probably never be like. I would rather they have an understanding that such things aren't realistic or healthy than to be bombarded with this idea which they have no understanding of as soon as they're in school.
A great way to instill confidence in girls is to give them things that are challenging. When something looks hard, it is more satisfying to finish. Encourage them along the way and praise them when they are done.
Oh, I love the paper bag princess! I let my kids have some freedom in picking their own clothes each day. Some days they have some interesting choices, but they are their choices, and very rarely do I have to ask them to change something.
I always try to give my young cousins confidence by praising them for doing good things and I try to be a role model for them. For my own daughter, I'm trying to teach her respect because I feel that if you can learn to respect people and things, your confidence will be higher. If you were constantly rude to people, they'd make sure you knew it so you'd have a pretty low confidence level.
My daughter gravitates towards all dolls and princesses but she also plays soccer year round, knows all about football, and knows no limitations due to being a girl. I hope I am her best example in that gender hasn't limited me. Blue is also her fav color any day, through no influence of mine - I love red!
I mentor two eight grade girls through Girl Scouts and we do a lot with confidence-building exercises and the importance of helping other people. I want to be the same sort of role model for my baby niece.
While I don't have a daughter (yet hopefully someday God will bless me with one!) I think one of the best things a mother can do is talk positively about herself. I think a lot of what daughters learn to think about themselves comes from how their moms think about themselves.
My daughter is two but I try to talk a lot about actions and not just looks. Praise her for the sweet things she says and does not just for being cute...
I love Robert Munsch books! And the hair clippies are super cute too!
Love it!
I am totally for the pink, and love having princesses! (and am not for the feminist ideals, either, lol) However, I want strong, confident daughters.
The thing that has helped the most is that my husband thinks the sun rises and sets on his daughters, they are the most beautiful, the most intelligent, most important creatures in the world. They are not going to accept just any guy in their lives, they are only going to accept a guy who knows their worth and treats them as such.
Looks great! Thanks!
I rebelled against pink at first, too. But it was pointless and I finally came to realize that its more about who she is than the color she wears. If we encourage her to try new things and be open-minded, she'll be able to do almost anything.
I, too, am not a big pink person, and when we had our daughter I specifically requested not a lot of pink. I was mildly successful. Now, of course, she is 3 and a half, with a mind of her own, and in the last month has decided that her favorite color? Is pink. Of course. However, we continually try to impress on her that she can play with anything she wants to (she loves her little brothers trucks and construction toys), and that there is no such thing as "girl" and "boy" toys or jobs. It's hard as we sometimes don't know where she gets her ideas from. I also try to make sure that I am constantly telling her not only how pretty I think she is, but how smart, or how funny, or whatever. To show her that we are noticing all of her characteristics, not just her appearance. I'm very interested in finding that book - maybe we'll look for it at the library tomorrow!
Hi, I don't have any daughter, but I do have two grown nieces (to whom I was like a nanny) and the youngest of the two (36) calls me her second mom!
They are my older sister's girls and both of them are quite confident and mature. We have and still do keep in touch and talk about everything. They played in girl's sports and have minds of their own. Thanks,Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
I have a daughter and she is just now learning to keep clips in her hair!
I'd love to read that book with my daughter, and she loves bows in her hair!
We have 4 girls--and I try to show them that femininity does not equal weakness! You don't have to become masculine to get respect. And beauty does not equal supermodels! And girls can (and should) do anything they want.
I try to instill confidence in girls by always encouraging my daughter to try new things -- even sterotypical "boy activities." mlciavola(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Even though my daughter is only 13 months old, I'm already starting to try to instill overall confidence in her. When I compliment her, I do more than tell her how adorable she is; I compliment her on who she is and the things she does. I tell her how smart she is, or how creative. I also encourage her to explore, in a safe environment. I feel it's the best way for her to learn about herself, and the world around her, because a good sense of self, and the world is something I believe helps create confidence and strength.
We love The Paper Bag Princess, such a great book! And Livie's fav color is blue, and she wears lots of blue, and likes to pick out clothes from the boys dept! Pink does look awful cute once in while, though : )
Yeah! Girl Power! (ps. we have lots of shirts with that on it!)
I guess I would have to say, by allowing them to be themselves and recognizing their strengths and always encouraging them!
Not entering though....they hardly ever wear hair stuff and we have the book.
As a school teacher I have a great opportunity to help girls grow in confidence. While they don't get extra special attention during class time, I try to make sure and compliment them when they do something good on the athletic field or in the classroom. Encouragement is the best gift I can offer them, beyond their education.
I can't believe it, a book we don't already own! I try to instill confidence and strength in my daughter by giving her enough freedom to exert her independence. She has an independent streak 50 miles long! I praise her in her successes and encourage her through her failures.
btw.... love the shot of your little one. She's a doll.
My 2.5 daughter is my first and I am trying hard to do it all "right". We talk about everything, I have never just said "no" to her, always explained it so she could understand.
She is now very well mannered, but even more important to me, very confident, she answers questions and really knows what she is saying. You can talk to her like any adult and listen to her views and take them into consideration. She seems to understand when I don't agree as well as sees when I do and use what she has said.
Please enter me into your give-away.
This is an AWESOME giveaway.
Lots of prayer and encouraging support. I try to teach my daughter right from wrong and how to be modest.
Oh, I'd love to win! Please count me in! Thank you!
I'm doing a giveaway on both of my blogs:
http://airforcefamily2007.blogspot.com
http://goddessofthehome.blogspot.com
I'll be doing a new giveaway everyday until Friday. Thought you might want to know.
Eden
What a great topic and accompanying giveaway. My four-year-old daughter has moved beyond pink now . . . her favorite color is purple! We try to balance her inclination toward girly things with other activities. She has played soccer and has now chosen to play basketball over cheerleading this winter. Also, right before I took her to a tea party, she was holding a garden snake her dad showed her!
I never bought my kiddo "girly" toys. We encourage her love of building with different kinds of blocks and her creative side with paints and clay (and about three dozen broken crayons). She's got toy cars, trains and planes, and not one single tiara. Not to mention, all of her toys are easy to pass along to her brother!
I think MY example is the best gift of empowering my daughter. pink, blue, red, brown...it doesn't matter. It is the PERSON in that color that counts!
GREAT prize package!!
I too have my first girl after two boys. I think one of the best ways to instill strength is to simply be an example. Don't allow yourself to be walked on and help her to learn that she is a unique and wonderful person.
I try to instill confidence in young ladies by inviting them to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences and then listening to them - really listening - and commenting on what they share.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Stop by my place to win a bath set & candles or one of two copies of a book I'm giving away.
Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings
you instill confidence in girls by being an example and role model for them .. they learn how to be a woman through the "mother figure" if there is no mom around.
How do you instill confidence and strength in girls? One way is by praising them for all of their traits - strength and bravery - and not just 'girly' ones.
I won't let my daughter (she's only 2, so it's easy right now) wear clothes with "Princess" or "I'm too cute" or a similar idea on them. They give me the creeps.
Thanks for the giveaway! My email addy is at my blogger profile, just in case I win!
I tell my daughter that she can do anything and I encourage her to try everything! She wears pink and gets it muddy!! I love the bows too!!
instilling confidence in a young girl can be as simple as teaching her to create her own "castle" out of whatever she finds herself to have... as a child I thought I was rich - only to find out as an adult that we were dirt poor.
please enter me!
thanks.
God bless.
I think the best way to instill confidence and strength in my daughter is to show her that I am these things. She's only 15 mos, but I am already very careful to not make negative comments about myself in front of her (baby weight to lose, wrinkles, grey hair...). I make a point each day to let both my son and daughter know how treasured they are. I also try not to be too protective of them, I think the best lessons are learned from mistakes.
I show my 5 year old daughter that I dont' "need" her dad to do stuff for me (I can fix most stuff by myself) I sihow her thatinstead I choose to share my life with my hubby and that we are partners. I teach her to be gracious and able to stick up for herself (without that high pitched whine) and since she has an older brother there's plenty of time for that.
I make sure we tell our baby how smart and good at things she is, instead of how cute she is. (Even though she is really cute :) ha!) I want her to rely on her brains instead of her face.
I try really hard not to say things like "You really look beautiful!" and hope that she finds beauty because of how she feels about herself, and not because of what others say. Sometimes it's hard, though--I mean she is so adorable! :-)
Wow, this is a toughie. I'm a teacher, and I always try to instill confidence in all kids--boy or girl! So many kids are wrapped up in the most stuff. Most beautiful, most A's, most soccer goals, etc. It all seems like it is based on performance or looks. I conduct class meetings and we talk about what is inside and how that's far more important than what's important on the outside. They must give a compliment to the student to their left or right (whatever I choose) about their inside. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't. I want my little girl to feel that her "inside stuff" is great and doesn't matter about the "outside stuff".
By the way, Paper Bag Princess is WONDERFUL!!
I am not entering this contest, so please if you draw my number, pick someone else. I did wander on here through the Carnival and wanted to say: Good for you in raising such a strong, independent little girl. Gender stereotyping with all pink is not necessarily bad.. but like I said, stereotyping. Besides, it does downplay what I'm sure are beautiful blue eyes. =)
Right up my alley! We look for toys/books/songs/real world examples that teach our daughter that women can be and do anything!
Thanks for a giveaway that reinforces our own family values!
Camille
www.snaphappymama.com
My giveaway: Visit my blog for a vintage style child art smock made by me!
My number 3 is my number one girl as well. As a former kidergarten teacher, my motto is that any toy that a girl plays with is a girl toy (and vice versa for the boys). Reinforcing that is the tricky part. I do reccommend two older brothers to make the truck/lego world interesting, and for making sure that you can stick up for yourself! Great, and very thoughtful contest- thanks.
You know what - I don't really know. I have a 7 month old daughter and a 5 year old son, with Autism. For 5 years now we've been trying to find a way to give our son a voice, and therefore the confidence he needs to use that voice he's so unsure of. So I guess it's in me, I just don't have the word to describe how I'd do it for a girl specifically. Support, encouragement and positivity I suppose!!!
I have a 6 & 10 year old daughter. I hated pink until my first was born. Then pink invaded our house. You are right to embrace it, fighting it would be worse. Enjoy it, trust me it doesn't past. My 10 year old is slowly turning to blues & browns. My girls both get a lot of confidence from taking dance classes. They have learned how to listen, manners, respect, group efforts & so much more. Don't be afraid to tell your girl if they aren't doing something right, but be sure to point out what is right. Raising girls can be hard, you have to allow daughters to find themselves. Hope this is what you were looking for & I'd love to win the giveaway!
Princesses rule :) Thanks for the giveaway!
fun...i have a lil princess too :)
thanks for the giveaway!
GREAT post for BSM - look at her amazing eyes...wow!
She is adorable in PINK! Great giveaway, too.
Well, let's see. I think the most important thing that I'm going to be teaching my girl is that she can be anything she wants to be, but it will take work. She seems to pick up things pretty quickly so I have high hopes for her. I think it is going to be hard to give her a sense of the real world due to the area we live in, but I hope we are able to accomplish that. I think being a powerful woman is based on being able to achieve things that you want in life predominanty on your own. You can get help where needed from others, but most of it has to come from within.
I hope to never put myself down in front of my daughter, lest she learn that it's okay to do that in front of the mirror, too. Thanks for the contest! ( meg.wilson@gmail.com )
I let my daughter know that she can do anything she wants to do. It may not always be the best, look the prettiest, etc. but as long as she tried, that's what counts.
I think surrounding my daughter with positive influences and not the negative super skinny ones we see these days and telling her I will support her no matter what will instill her with alot of confidence
I'm big into avoiding gender stereotypes. We don't allow for any "Boys' toys" or "Girls' toys." Anyone can play with anything.
Something I do with all my kids is I don't let them say, "I can't." Instead, they need to ask, "Will you help me please?" I tell them time and time again that there's nothing they can't do with a little help.
She's a cutie in any color, but I can see you are probably right - blue would really make those eyes pop : ) If it makes you feel any better, my five-year-old is a princess-loving pink-a-holic, but she's anything but deficient in girl power : D
Be able to expose them to different thing. Who says Star Wars is just for geeky guys.
taowyn (at) gmail (dot) com
Well, my little dollie isn't quite a year old yet. I think having 2 older brothers will help with the strength part...and confidence will come with beating her brothers. :) I think the confidence comes from parents who are loving and supporting of her in her grrowth!
Please pick me!!
Thanks for a super giveaway!
sharvey at connections-etc dot net
I have 3 contests going on right now! I will be adding more this week, too!
One way to instill confidence and strength is by modeling it in your own life. They will learn by your example.
I don't have a daughter myself but I think the best way to instill strength is to show them that the girls they see on TV are not how "real" women act. Hollywood's interpretation of how a woman should be is so distorted and girls should not be looking in that direction.
those would be a great gift for my best friend's daughter!
As far as the question goes.. with my god daughter i led by example and always was honest regardless of if the answer was good or bad.
I have a 2-1/2 year old daughter. I instil confidence in her by complimenting her when she's cooperates and lets me fix her hair and dress her pretty. Also I praise her when she's done right.
i try to instill confidence in my daughter by treating her the way that i would like to be treated. she is only 3 and we actually have conversations. i let her know that she's important and i also give her tasks to do that teach her as well give her a sense of accomplishment.
I have SIX daughters so making sure they are self confident is important to me. We try to instill in them a love for God and a knowledge that they are his daughters. This knowledge then spread into other areas of their life.
I'm sure this sounds rather cliche, but I pray that my daughter learns to be a leader by having wonderful leading woman in her life. I recently posted about this on my blog when we saw the movie Enchanted.
My daughter loves pink and princesses because that's what's marketed to girls and my extended family eats it all up. We live rather rurally and we don't have cable, so she's only exposed to what I bring into the house (we also homeschool) - I realize we sound like a bunch of hermits, but really we are out all the time.
I love love love oopsie dazie. I've ordered from them and the bows are adorable. I also have heard of the book and would love to get it for my infant daughter. I think the best thing one can do is just to model by example.
so cute :)
thank you,
missy
Poppyseed was born a girlie-girl. In fact, when she was just starting to talk, she was sleeping over at my folks and they overheard her say the following IN HER SLEEP:
"oh no! my bag, my shoes, they don't match!"
Though her favourite hue for quite some time was green, she has switched to pink, loves all things princess, and prefers dresses and skirts. BUT she also loves Legos, magnatiles, and video games. By encouraging all of her passions and interests, I hope to teach her that being a girl means having so many wonderful options.
she is beautiful.
yes, we only have 2 princesses over here...so we are ALL about the pink and princesses.
but daddy is trying to instill a little bit of tomboy into them, and i'm not standing in his way.
another good book...
"Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots"
(and others in the Do Princesses...series."
My little lady is only 10 months old, but I think she can't help but be a bit of a feminist with me as a mom. ;) I plan to teach her that she can be as pink and frilly as she likes-- but she can also be brilliant and powerful.
You say she has 2 older brothers? Problem solved! My little girl may have looked like a delicate princess, but she kept up with the rest of the boys and became the family bully.
I treat my daughter as a person not a girl. She loves princesses but also tonka trucks. She does prefer lots of pink!! I cherish who she is and try and set a good example.
My daughter does love hairclips :)
My daughter is only two, but I hope I can instill a lot of confidence in her as she is older. I want her to grow up knowing that it's okay to be unique and that you don't have to have the same brands as everyone else. I refuse to give in to expensive "labels" and I want her to grow knowing that it's more than that that makes a person.
Okay, first and foremost, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the pukey princess thing. We have friends and family who have done the princess thing to the hilt with their girls, telling and calling them princess and whatnot and out have come some really not nice little people. The more I have balked at the pukey princess thing, the more people have purchased. So, my concession is this, it may have the princesses on it, but it may not have anything that says, "I'm a princess!" on it. Yuck. I love my kid, but we love everyone else's, too.
How do we instill good stuff in our kid? We teach her to treat everyone as she would like to be treated. She is a very caring little girl who, thankfully, takes the princesses at their face value.
I don't mind the pink thing so much, but do you know what color my daughter loves best? Green. And, it makes her green eyes even greener!
Thanks for a great giveaway!
art and nature *at* juno [dot] com
Yay girl power! One of my daughter's onesies is powder blue with a picture of a backhoe and the word GIRL! Thanks for the contest.
Boy, oh boy...I know where you are coming from! I too had a little girl after 2 active boys! LOL! It has been so much fun buying lots of cute clothes and girly stuff! Those hair clips are too cute! I let my little girl follow along with her older brothers and she loves to do what they do (typical rough & tough boy stuff), but she still enjoys to do her girly stuff like playing with dolls. She is learning how to be a girly girl, but also how to fit in with boys without losing her identity! Plus, it teaches the boys how to include girls in their playtime, too!
Thanks so much for doing this!
ahiltzy@yahoo.com
Love it! :) Count me in!
I instill strength and confidence in my girls by letting them be who they are. I try to teach by example to be independant and to have their own opinion however, they also know how to respect others opinions, which in the long run will make them more confident in their own actions and beliefs. My girls look fantastic in pink, but I try to make it more raspberry, but I tend to dress them in colors that go well with their dark hair and brown eyes. Pink is just one of those colors...
I have 4 girls and I love it that they feel confident to try just about anything! My oldest is starting baseball this year, so we'll see how she does there. It's so fun to see what they decide to try as they become big girls!
This is so nice, please count me in;)
I encourage my nieces to put their heart into everything that they do, and to give it 100%. There are lessons to be learned from most every situation, even the ones we don't necessarily like, and by learning to give our all as children, we will grow into strong adults!
kpuleski at gmail dot com
This one has made me think. Hmmm. . . I encourage her to be independent. To do things for herself. If she needs help, I will help her of course, but as she see she can "do it herself" she feels good about it.
hey! check out my hair clips too!
http://alittlegirlie.blogspot.com/
This stuff is too cute! Count me in!!
chas779@gmail.com
I'm not Jewish, so I don't know what you mean about the "Jewish princess negative connotation". I'm curious, could you explain what you meant? I'm thinking of Queen Esther-not exactly a bad example!
Anyway, I try to instill confidence in my niece by teaching her how to be the kind of girl that can be confident. (Smart, reliable, virtuous etc.)
Please enter me! ernestsgirl82@yahoo.com
We install confidence was encouraging Clare in all sorts of things, and at this point helping her overcome her obstacles. She's only 3 and we want her to feel like she can conquer the world. I'm looking forward to reading all of the comments you get though because I would love to know what is good for girls.
I encourage my daughters to stand up for themselves. I help them to find the words for this. I also encourage them to be themselves, allowing them to dress the way they would like, when the occasion allows, and to know no matter what they are loved andare precious in their own way.
My 13 yo daughter is one of the most independent and strong girls I know. I am so proud of her! I think it is all abouyt setting a good example and encouraging them to stand up and be strong. No matter what! Please enter me! I have little girls aplenty who I would love to gift these prizes to!
My Mom always told us we could be and do whatever we wanted, meaning our possibilities were limitless...rather limited only by how hard we were willing to work....amazing messages to carry with you to adulthood.
I taught my children from the get go that they are Children of God.
Include me please!
I have one boy, and a girl coming in June. So for now I am doing lots of prayer!
Encourage your girls to try everything and anything in life.
If it is any consolation, you have a cousin who wore a lot of pink and insisted on dresses for years. She is now 17, at college, and no pushover for anyone. She's a very strong young woman. She still likes to be fashionable but she insists on defining "fashionable."
I have 2 daughters age 5 and 3. My older daughter is named Aurora, and since that is also Sleeping Beauty's name I have given up trying to keep the princess stuff out of my house. I do try to instill that girls (and boys) can do and be whatever they want. They have played with trucks and dinosaurs along side dolls and princess dresses. IMO it isn't about avoiding the stereotype, it is about not JUST being the stereotype. Do what you enjoy, be who you are, and don't worry about what other people think. If you treat other people with respect and respect yourself as well, you will come out on top!
I let them know I'm here when they need help, but I encourage them to try before they say they can't do something. I also follow their lead with toys. We have dolls, my little ponies, monster trucks, tool benches, etc. A very varied toy selection and I have 2 girls!
Great giveaway. I have three little girls. I try to make sure each one gets one-on-one time every day where we can talk and work on something together that is challenging for them (letters, basic reading, practicing sharing, etc...). I also tell them a lot how proud I am for how hard they are working to become ladies.:)
Please enter me! As my daughter grows, I will show her that no matter what she is told, she can do or be anything she wants to be!
Melissa
MamasBabiesx4@gmail.com
Show them a good example and make sure they feel loved
No daughters or even neices yet but I plan to model an example of love and kindness. Hopefully I'm doing that for my son now!
How cute! The nieces would love these!
I have two daughters and three nieces, and I try all the time to show them strength by example. There are always going to be hard times, but we laugh and we learn and we get through them. I boost them up by telling them how wonderful they are and how much they are loved.
Thanks for the giveaway! I'm doing one too, please visit!
I just posted about my own little princess today - it is CRAZY isn't it? She loves all things pink and the bigger the bow the better! Me? I don't own pink and I am not really girlie to speak of :) Great contest mama, thanks!
I show my daughter by example. She has lots of string women to look up to and I make sure to encourage her own strenghts.
I try to teach my daughter that while she is beautiful (and she is) that isn't why we love her or where her worth is. Her worth is inherent to being a child of God and she is to behave in a manner worthy of His name. That said, she is pretty much a football throwing girly girl.
I teach my girls to use their own minds and think things through. Don't just rely on another persons judgement. You're the only one who should think for you :)
anastasia_falling@yahoo.com
I instill confidence by showing I'm confident in them.
we talk about why we are special and how we are everything b/c of God!
Having always had a problem with body image, I am very careful to never say anything negative about my body, especially in front of my two girls. I want them to appreciate their bodies because they are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Tami parker
tparker002@centurytel.net
I would say the best way is to set the example.
great contest!
Midwestmommy@gmail.com
I try to let my girls know that they are perfect no matter what they look like adn show them lots of love.
I tell my daughters that they are perfect the way God made them and that no one can say anything different. I want to raise my girls to love God, love others and see themselves as God-made.
Sarah
SeekingHim@gmail dot com
www.homeschoolblogger.com/OhioSarah
Thanks! I hope I win!
mhode79@gmail.com
Learn to be a good listener and try to not always solve their problems for them. Be an active listener and support them through THEIR problem solving process. We are way to quick to solve our kids problems and then are surprised when they struggle. THanks!
And check out my give a way!
http://thedowfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/bloggy-giveaway-carnival.html
My girls are ages 2 and 4(well, and my newborn..but she isn't at this point yet!) and I encourage them to try new things, go new places, and that they can do anything that they put their mind to. From unique crafts, museum visits, to reading lots of books, and talking about all the sorts of things that interest them I try to show them the vast possibilities that exist for them in this world. My four year old mentioned an interest in something and a family member had the nerve to say "Oh yeah? How will you do that?" to which she replied "I can do anything! Anything I want, I just have to try hard and do my best" I was so proud of her and then equally annoyed when the family member said "No, you can't. You can't do anything.. not everyone is good at everything." I was about to comment when my 4 year old took care of it and said "That's sad for you - but I CAN do anything I want. I am good at everything. Don't worry, you'll get better."
:-)
I encouage my daughter to do everything my son does.
I have four girls (and two boys) and I've always encouraged them to be true to themselves. I've never subscribed to the you can't do that because you're a girl/boy type thinking. One daughter can take on her dad in wrestling, they love sports, they don't mind dirt and hard work, one daughter loves bugs - really - just letting them be who they are and have their own style without worrying about other opinions teaches them to be strong.
Thanks for the chance to win! :)
adashofsassitude (at) thesilvas (dot) com
I went to an all women's college and work there now. I have never been at a place that is more inspiring to women on a daily basis.
I would love to win. I instill confidence in my daughter by letting her know she can do and be anything she wants in this world no matter what other people may tell you.
My girls would love both of those things! Thanks for counting me in!
As I thought about your question ... having 3 girls from 2 to 12 ... I'm not sure how ... but they are all full of confidence! I am pretty strong willed myself ... and apparently whatever I've done ... it works?
I think that it is important to let girls (and boys)know that no matter what happens in life they always have the power to change themselves for the better.
dreamweaver21us(at)hotmail(.)com
My daughter is 4 and is also the first girl after two boys (and then we had another boy after her!) I honestly don't think a lot about empowering her specifically as a girl - she's one little chili pepper of a chick all on her own! :-D
We are yet another family with a girl after 2 boys - I agree totally about everyone giving us PINK and nothing but. As for how to instill confidence, tell her she can do it herself and doesn't NEED help, though can certainly accept it if she chooses. :) Nice giveaway.
We have two girls, and we give encouragement, gentle reprimand and lots of love!
marci_ann@hotmail.com
I would have to say showing them that theycan have confidence in themselves and in us as their support system.
julieahudson[at]hotmail[.]com
I have boys, but have 3 niece! They would love these!
please enter me thanks
I would love to be entered in your giveaway! :) Thank You. :)
We are in a very similar boat -- after three boys we were shocked to have little pink girl. She literally came OUT pink! I know that from day one I teach ALL of my kids the importance of physical fitness and health. I hope that this can give us a strong base for the bombardment from PHOTOSHOPPED celebrities.
I think the most important thing I can do for my girls is to make sure they feel loved and safe - that will instill much of the confidence they need.
I let them have as much chore responsibility as they'd like (they both love chores...especially laundry) and I let them know that it's perfectly fine to voice any objections they have to a situation...even if it's my parenting, and we'll talk about it.
I’d love to be entered.
If you haven’t already entered, I’m giving away two prizes: craft books & decorating books at my blog
http://unmainstreammom.blogspot.com/
2008/01/bloggy-giveaways.html
Thanks!
Those clips are so cute! Please enter me. :D
Great giveaway! Count me in!
Check out my giveaway - Mary Kay Product!!
www.thepangburns.blogspot.com
Thank you!!
Great idea! I love that book and we don't have it! We are drowning on pink at my house, too!
I instill strength and confidence in my daughter by doing "man things"; mowing the lawn,changing the oil filters and the like. Of course I don't say they are man things, I just do them.
I just recently had the first girl on both sides of the family - I know all about the pink wave! I don't think my daughter can have confidence in herself if I am not confident in myself first. Example!
One way to instill confidence in girls is to take the focus away from the outside and ensure that girls feel that they are worthy as a person because of what is inside
jasonncaryn at yahoo dot com
I have two daughters one 2years old the other 6 months. This after 5 boys. So far the oldest daughter has plenty of confidence and strength. She has brothers that encourage her to do everything they do and she believes that she can. I love pink thought and love dressing my girls in pinks and purples. Most importantly to me I want to raise stong Godly women.
Ugh with the pink - I so understand! My daughter has red hair so you can imagine how AWFUL she looks in pink, but everyone buys her pink stuff. As for your question, I make sure to 1. Tell her often, Chloe, you can do and be anything you want in life. and 2. Model for her strength and independence. mamaredhead at gmail dot com
well i adore the hairclips. i am all about pink...yet 100% confident that my daughter will be strong and confident, and soft when needed. she will be a loving daughter of Heavenly Father.
Please enter my name in the drawing. I'd love to win the hairpieces and book.
i just had a girl and would love some hair clips. also, always up for a new good book- never can have too many.
I think th best thing to do is let to just go with it . . . pink every so often isn't going to turn her into a Jewish princess. I think leading by example will help her to realise that sitting around acting like a helpless princess isn't "cool" and then she will want to do things for herself, even if she is wearing pink at the time. I own lots of pink clothes & accessories and can be known to be girly, but am strong and independent. Good luck!
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