Uplifting Our Daughters

Our view of women can cause subtle differences in the way we relate to our daughters as opposed to our sons. If, for example, we are overprotective of our daughters, we teach them to be helpless and not to trust their own judgment or ability.

By contrast, with our sons we typically encourage action-oriented independence and confident decision-making. The outcome of treating our daughters differently can sometimes be a distance inadvertently created between us and them, but more importantly it can be damaging to their self-esteem. If they don't believe you think of them as competent and capable, it's hard for them to think of themselves that way. This is a unique gift that men can give their daughters. Just like our sons, they need to receive our blessing (typically defined as a distinct message in which we acknowledge them as a fully functioning, capable, independent person) which assures them they are capable of functioning on their own in a challenging world.