Raising a Badass Girl

The title of this post hit me a couple of months ago. More as a question than an answer. For a lot of different reasons. I see how hard I have to fight society to instill certain essentials into my girl, even at this age. I can only imagine it gets worse from this point forth. I wrote a post last year about getting my girl into football and her general competitiveness (that I still say she doesn't get from me!). Then recently, I've started hearing her say things like I can't play that video game or I don't know how. And it didn't sit well with me because it was almost like she had this idea that she couldn't race cars on the TV because she's a girl. And it scared me because it made me wonder what I had said to get her to think that.

As I started to pay attention to some of the things she said, I'd find her apologizing at times when I would correct a behavior or offer up advice even though there was no reason to. 

Then I read an article that got me thinking about the words we say ourselves that our children naturally absorb. Ten Simple Words Every Girl Should Learn got thrown into my "things to teach the kid" box (mental note: run out and grab a box to put important stuff in).

I'm a fan of asking for help. Which is what I did. I asked some of my favorite bloggers to give me their thoughts on raising a badass girl. Badassery looks different for everyone so, here's my definition:

I want to raise a girl that won't apologize for who she is. Who understands that she is just as strong and just as smart as any other person on this earth. I want a girl that will try again even after she skins her knee. A chick that can do math and read the classics and love them both. A preteen that will still love to cuddle with me and that might one day dance on stage with her mother. A girl that will scream at the television when her team fumbles the ball. I want a gal that won't be afraid of technology and that owns some comic books. A woman whose shoe collection is only rivaled by her stacks of books. A soul deeply grounded in faith and clear in her purpose.

A person well versed in politics and penmanship. A female that's kind, loving, nurturing and compassionate that will take shit from no one.

I don't want her to have hangups about the weight of her body or her brain. I want to expose her to all that life has to offer so that she understands her place is wherever she decides it will be.

No, I don't have the answer of how to do that. Yet. I'm not even sure if that's the end of my list.

I hope to learn from those that came before me and glean some thoughts from the spirit of my own mother and what she did with me. Because I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm kind of a badass in my own right. But I want her to be more. Oh, so much more for my girl.

Did you see this video making the rounds?

What about this one?

I hope to bring you some great thoughts and instructions on this topic. Mostly not from me. Stay tuned next week and see who comes next!

What advice can you give me on raising a badass girl?

If you'd like to offer up your own advice as a guest blogger, please reach out to me at sili(at)themamihood(dot)com.