The movie Pink is making news for all the right things about women's rights that have been discussed in it. The most important one being why a girl should learn to say 'NO' and be assertive of the choices that she makes.
While that's certainly what every woman should be doing, as a mother of a five-year-old daughter I feel that young girls should be moulded right from the beginning to have a solid career of their own before they choose to settle down (or get married as many say).
This is because they should be prepared to face the big bad world on their own and to be able to make decisions and choices as confident young women. They should know that fending for the bread and butter is not only the male's prerogative and that girls are equally responsible for contributing to a family's earnings.
Gone are the days when women to trained to become better housekeepers. Today, women should be taught to be better working professionals than men. Don't you agree?
Little girls should know that life is much more than just stories of Cinderella and her prince charming, who rescues and saves her life and that have a message that every woman needs a man to save her. This is why I am teaching my daughter these five essential things from now on:
1. She should learn to fend for herself
The other day my five-year-old girl ran up to me and said that she wants to get married and settle down when she grows up. What more can you expect from a little girl who's living in her fantasy world that is filled with stories of maids in distress waiting for men to rescue them?
That's when I told her that she can get married if she wants later on, but first, she should decide what she wants to do when she grows up. And since then I ask her every now and then if she has really decided on what she would like to become when she grows up. One day she even told me," Mummy, I think I want to own a company!" Just hope that it turns to be true!
2. She understands the value of hard-earned money
As mothers, we should learn to say NO to our kids, especially when they throw tantrums to buy a toy or a certain something that they just can't live without.
There are many times when I have said no to my daughter and by now even she knows what are the things that she should really go for such as buying a book instead of a toy that either breaks or she herself loses interest in it in a couple of days. Of course, there are times that she can request for a doll or a car or any other toy of her choice, but at other times she should be prepared to hear a NO.
Continue reading on the next page to know about the other things we should teach our daughters!
During her fifth birthday this year, I even gave her a piggy bank and told her that she can keep collecting money and whenever she really wants a toy or a thing that she can't do without, she can take some money from that piggy bank and buy. This is an activity she really looks forward to and must say that she makes sure that she puts in a penny in her piggy bank every now and then. A great way for her to learn how to save money.
3. She should be prepared to face the world
Ever since my daughter started going to her preschool, I have encouraged her to speak up and bring up her issues to her teacher. I have also warned her that slowly she would have to learn to fight for herself and deal with bullies on her own as 'mumma' would not be there to help her all the time.
4. She is no different from a man
Lastly, I am trying to teach my daughter that she is not different from a man and has to learn to contribute to the family's income just like I do as her mother. Girls today have to be taught that they have a life beyond the kitchen and the family and that it is not at all necessary for them to take a backseat as they are women. Certainly not at this day and age!
Also Read: 12 things I will teach my daughter and you should too
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[Images courtesy: Pixabay]
