7 Truths Every Girl Needs To Hear From Her Parents
The mind of a modern, plugged-in girl is filled with constant information...and persuasion.
Images, scrolling, posting, song lyrics, liking, comments, photoshopping, sexuality, advertisements...so much pressure.
Wow. It must be so difficult being a girl.
Amidst this world of confusion, consumerism, stress, and perversion, our daughters need their parents’ voices more than ever.
I have three daughters. They need us,
They need us to teach them wisdom, self-control, goodness, self-esteem, and identity.
Parents are teachers. Let's teach well.
Here are SEVEN TRUTHS our daughters need to hear from us.
#1. YOU ARE NOT IN COMPETITION WITH OTHER GIRLS
One of the common themes of media is that other girls are threats, enemies and competitors. To win this "competition", our girls must be prettier, skinnier, smarter, cooler, or meaner.
As parents, let us relieve them of this false belief and guide them into freedom, confidence and love of mankind.
“Daughter, you are worthy. You don’t need to be better or prettier or smarter or cooler than anyone. You are perfectly you.”
#2. YOU ARE BRAVE AND POWERFUL
The world can be a scary place sometimes. Especially for young girls (and their parents)! But instead of teaching our daughters to be scared or anxious, we need to train our girls to be brave and wise. Our girls have amazing strength inside of them.
It’s a parent’s job to help them to see this strength and to empower them to unleash it into their world—for good!
“Yes, go to the mall with your friends. You are brave and strong and tough and wise...have a great time!”
#3. YOUR BODY IS BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL AS IS
Through the LOUD voices of photoshopped models, Hollywood actresses, mean girls, porn-stars, their own friends, and even the negative voice in their own head, girls often hear a message that they aren’t pretty enough, thin enough or perfect enough.
A parent’s voice carries weight. (Don’t ever doubt that!)
Let our words guide them into self-love and acceptance. If they don’t hear this "truth" from us, then where will they learn it?
#4. BE PATIENT WITH LOVE AND ROMANCE
Modern media continues to glamorize dating, sexuality and "hook up" culture.
A client told me last night that she found her daughter with an app on her phone which is like the "Tinder for teenagers".
“It’s good to be sexually desired and to have a boyfriend” is a consistent message in movies, Disney shows, apps, pornography, memes, magazines, and ads.
As parents, we need to teach our girls the wisdom of keeping the bar high with romance and sexuality.
There is beauty and wisdom in being patient.
Patient with their heart, their mind and their sexuality.
Again, if parents don’t use their voices in this area, then the media and her friends’ voices will be all she hears.
#5. INNER BEAUTY IS TRUE BEAUTY
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.”
Every day the media tells our daughters they are not pretty enough.
Can that lie be overpowered? Yes!
Parents, use your voice.
Your voice is more powerful than the best song, the funniest movie or the coolest celebrity.
#6. NEITHER FRIENDS NOR BOYS/DATING CAN MAKE YOU FEEL WHOLE
We need to teach our daughters that self-esteem, confidence and wholeness will not come from others.
It's an inside job.
A desire to find wholeness through boys or friends or grades will lead them on a constant pursuit for something that doesn’t exist.
#7. THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS LOVE AND SERVING OTHERS
Family. Friends. Community. Service. Faith. People. Goodness. Purpose. Love. These are the things that matter.
They bring purpose.
The best way for parents to teach this to our daughters is to model it in our everyday lives.
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Be Strong. Stay Close. Teach Wisdom.
Your Friend,
Sean Donohue
Family Coach and Founder,
ParentingModernTeens.com
Click HERE to go deeper with Sean's coaching.
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