Natural living for healthy families
I love spending time with Dianna outdoors – she is a true Nordic child! If it was up to her, we would spend every single hour outside enjoying mother nature’s grand work! She doesn’t seem to take note of the cold wind or even if […]
Autumn is here – there is no denying it anymore! Summer has decided not to show up this year. For as long as I can remember, my birthdays have always been sunny. My birthday is in august and I have always had good weather on […]
My favorite holiday is Samhain, also known as Halloween, All Hallows eve, All Saints day! All the ghoulish fright and making fun of things that scare us, is right up my alley. I’ve been quite creative with my costume so far; I’ve been everything from […]
The best and easiest DIY Christmas present for grandparents Every year since Dianna was born, I make a DIY photo calendar for her grandparents, and they LOVE it! I take the time to carefully choose which photo represents the month from last year and add […]
Oven-fried chicken is a definite family favorite in our household. The chicken is easy enough – the oven takes care of that! But one of the reasons, that it’s a family favorite, is because Dianna always helps me make it. I get all the ingredients […]
A couple years ago, when we changed our diet to LCHF, I spent an insane amount of time, trying to find copycat recipes without carbs for our favorite dishes. The hardest ones to get just right were mostly the pasta- and bread-dishes. But THIS lowcarb […]
Summer is in the review mirror and autumn is at the door – BUT not in my kitchen! When the cold weather starts biting my cheeks and it’s time to light the fireplace – I prolong the summertime by mixing up some great homemade juices […]
In this modern world where the media is saturated with digitally enhanced pictures of perfect women, how do you teach your daughter to love her imperfect self? Well, the truth is – it starts with you loving your imperfect self! Here are 5 ways to promote […]
A wonderful way of keeping your little one occupied on a hot summers day Our little girl loves to draw, paint and express herself with colours and as a mom, I think that’s wonderful! When we paint and draw together, we talk and learn about […]
These days selecting the type of cookware for your kitchen is tricky, you don’t only have to consider safety but the ideal design, price and other features. Of course, the type of material needs to be the utmost consideration. There are many choices in the […]
My friends mother makes this AMAH-ZING salmon spread! And this Christmas, as we happened to celebrate it together, I finally got the recipe! And because I love it so much, I wanted to put my own little twist on the recipe, to turn her classic […]
So December was a tough and very emotional month in our household. Dianna had a broken leg and I had to change my work hours til after Brian was home. So I worked from home during the evenings and we didn’t get to spend very […]
Never a dull moment! So December and Christmas time has been a bit tough for our little family. On December 8 our little girl had a bad fall and broke her leg! She was helping mommy wash the floors… she loves to help out, bless […]
Hi, I'm Pennie and I want to help you and your busy family find healthy answers by providing everyday recipes, tips and guidence toward a natural family lifestyle ❤
Welcome to my blog!!
In this modern world where the media is saturated with digitally enhanced pictures of perfect women, how do you teach your daughter to love her imperfect self? Well, the truth is – it starts with you loving your imperfect self! Here are 5 ways to promote independence and confidence in your little girl.
As with all parenting, it starts with you as a role model. Children learn what we show them, and not always what we tell them. Don’t teach her that certain foods are “bad” or “good” or that they define who you are. Instead show her healthy choices and how to embrace the whole person she is. Watch TV with her or read magazines and help her be critical of these “perfect images” shown in the media. Make sure she knows, this isn’t reality!
Also be wary of how you talk about other people. Trash-talking or mentioning other peoples looks in a negative way makes her feel insecure and wonder what people are saying behind her back.
Let your daughter be apart of something bigger then herself. Studies have shown that girls who play team sports have a higher self-esteem. Being apart of a team, lets your daughter focus more on what abilities she brings to the team, rather then her appearance. And it enforces the feeling of succes based on who she is, rather then what she looks like.
Team sports will also give her a group of peers who can accept her and like her for her abilities and personality instead of her looks or clothes (since you usually wear team uniforms in team sports!). Or even if sports isn’t her thing, there are other choices; like playing in a band or drama club.
Being a teamplayer is an ability that will help her all through her life, wether it’s in her job or personal life!
My little girl gets lots of compliments; “You’re such a pretty princess.” or “What a cute smile.” And those kind of compliments are nice too, but much more often I hear boys being complimented for being “smart” or “strong“.
Be sure to compliment your daughter on her persona and what she DOES, not only on what she looks like or is supposed to represent. I think it’s important to make a conscious effort to balance these compliments out, so everything isn’t about appearance!
Many dad’s treat their little girls as fragile little princesses, who need help. I have no doubt they do it out of love, but rather it would be better for her, to teach your daughter to be independent and trust in her own abilities. Otherwise you’re teaching her, that a woman’s job is to look good, so a man can come and “save you“. A father would never teach his son this, so why should he teach this to his daughter!?
Again it’s important to make a conscious choice to teach your little girl independent skills, so she can speak up for herself and not wait for someone to rescue her. It also teaches her stamina, the ability to get up, brush yourself off and keep going when you get knocked down! And who doesn’t want to promote that in their little girl’s life?
We all have insecurities, in fact I would say, it’s something every human being on the planet has in common. Your daughter needs to feel your unconditional love. Say it to her, make sure she knows that small or tall, round or skinny, you love every last bit of her and wouldn’t change her for the world.
The power of acceptance is huge!
These are my 5 ways to promote independence and confidence in our little girl. Do you have something to add to the list?
Please let me know in the comments below 🙂
