Reading other blogs oftentimes spark internal, analytic thoughts in me. If a topic hits me enough, I end up discussing it with my husband. So Justice’s recent brush with a horrific situation struck such a nerve. I happened to mention to hubby one night, recounting the events to him. I then posed the question, so how would you react if this ever happened to our (future) little gir?
He gave a little chuckle and said: “By the time our daughter is eight years old, she’ll be so lethal, no one would mess with her.” (I’m assuming Justice’s little girl is 8 yo. or so).
I laughed at his comment, recalling his plans for our children. I think he expects them to be able to break a finger with their grip as soon as they come out of the womb, be able to deliver a jarring martial arts chop at the age of 3, take on the deadly vipers assasination squad at the age of 8. Such are his plans.
The world out there is a big, harsh place. Like my favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer points out in the 6th season (geek reference), “Life is the big bad”. It can be wonderful, yes. It can be nice, and warm. But sometimes not and at the off-chance that the world can swallow them whole, you need to equip your children, especially your girls, with some powerful mojo. I have no idea when and if I’ll even have a little girl, but I have countless plans in order to empower her.
-Have Daddy around…I don’t want her to be a daddy’s little girl per se, but having a Father figure, a good father figure, will show how a man should treat a woman. Some girls who don’t have a father figure around often seek that male approval later on in life in strange and scary ways.
-Put them into sports. It gives them something to do, builds their confidence, gives them a way to channel their energy and frustration. Kick that ball, girl!
-Speak frankly about the birds and the bees, etc. etc. This is very important to me. You know there are now 6th, 7th grade girls out there who think that giving a bl*w job to boys is ok, because it isn’t considered s*x? I want to tell her that before she kneels down and gives any boy anything*, make sure the boy is ready to kneel in front of her!
-Be open, honest, and nurture her trust in us, her parents; not fear. I want our children to respect authority figures and their elders, but I don’t want them to think that they have to do whatever an adult says. I want them to be able to stand up to an adult if something doesn’t feel right, to question authority.
You may notice that I flp-flop between addressing our children, and addressing daughters specifically. Well it can’t be helped. My mind conjures so many minefield scenarios for my future daughter, but I hope to empower my children no matter their gender.
