5 Things You Can Do To Prepare Your Daughter for Life

   You don’t expect life to arrange your child; you arrange your child for life.~ Ifeanyi Adefarasin The International Day of the Girl Child is here again, and while we are grateful for the many little victories we have won, there is still a lot more to be done. While you may not be able to fight at the forefront of battles against female genital mutilation or child marriage, and you may not be able to advocate for the education of girls around the world, you can contribute your quota by equipping the little girl in your home for life. In addition to guaranteeing her formal education, here are 5 things that will set her on the right path and help her thrive: 1. An abundance of role models: Girls need to be taught that their dreams can come true, and one way to do this is to keep before their eyes women who have achieved success in various endeavors. From their lives, your daughter can learn ethics and principles that are required for success. Talk with her about women she needs to know, and be around to answer her questions as they arise. 2. Books, books, books: “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” – Mary McLeod Bethune. Isn’t this true for many of us? Books inspire and encourage us to go for our dreams. Teach your daughter to read and think for herself, and your work is half done. 3. Teach her the power of yes and no: Yes and no are very powerful words, and from a very early age you must teach your daughter to know that her choices determine the course of her life, and that she is responsible for them. 4. Raise her like her brother: By this I do not mean ignore the fact that she is a girl; teach her that being feminine isn’t equal to being an airhead who is obsessed with beauty and make-up and relies on bottom power, tantrums or tears to get by. Show her how to manage her emotions and use them to her advantage, so that she can gain the respect she needs from men and women alike. Make her streetwise and safety conscious. Teach her to assert herself. Affirm her. 5. Protect your bond with her: A girl needs her mother. Be committed to mothering her. Spend time with her, listen to her, and let her know how much you love her. When tough love is necessary, bring it on; you are her mother, not her friend. Be her mother in every sense of the word.   Happy International Day of the Girl Child!   About the writer: Joy Ehonwa is a writer, copy-editor and online proofreader who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a copy-editing, ghostwriting and transcription business, blogs at www.anafricandiva.wordpress.com and www.girlaware.wordpress.com, and tweets @JoyEhonwa

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This article was first published on 11th October 2014 and updated on June 26th, 2015 at 2:16 pm

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