Raising Girls with a Positive Self-Image

From the words we hear to the images we see, our self-image can be impacted by a variety of things. Ultimately, having a positive self-image starts in the home.

With the many superficial and unrealistic versions of beauty on our T.V. and cell phone screens, it's easy to see why our girls struggle with their self-image. We cannot wait for Hollywood to get their act together. It's up to us, as parents, to make a difference in the lives of our daughters and young women so that they can see their beauty and embrace who God created them to be.

A positive self-image starts with you being in a healthy place emotionally...

I am the mother of 4 daughters ranging from 4 to 15 years old. I wish I could tell you that it's been sunshine and roses teaching them to embrace their inner beauty but that would be a total lie. It has been a time full of laughter, tears, joy and sometimes even pain. This journey has taught me more about myself and how important it is for me to be in a healthy place emotionally than almost anything else in my life has.

This brings me to my first point... If you want to raise a girl who has a positive self-image, you must first work on yourself. Often times, as mothers, we are burdened by that inner voice that suggests that we are being selfish when we do anything outside of or away from our children, but you cannot pour from an empty cup. It took me years to understand and conquer this mindset. I'm typically not a slow learner but this one was tough and it required me to do work that I quite frankly did not want to do. I will tell you that although I am definitely not where I used to be, I am STILL a work in progress. It is okay to carve out time, on a regular basis, to make sure that your own spiritual, mental, physical and emotional health is in tact because only then will you truly be in a position to be there for your daughter when she needs you.

Many times on our journey, I have found that my girls have adjusted much better when I have just allowed them to pour out their hearts to me. I am usually one who likes to plan and be in control but this journey has shown me my need to pull back and allow my daughters to just be who they are. This means that I allow them to make more choices as to what they like, what they don't like, why they like and don't like something and all that jazz. This brings us to point number two for raising a girl who has a positive self-image which is to allow your daughter the freedom to choose. This will cause you to celebrate them in the good times and support them in the not so good times. In this way, you are acknowledging the fact that they really are fearfully and wonderfully made and this is a huge deal for most of us, especially young girls.