When it comes to girls and sport there’s no doubt we have a lot to celebrate. But there’s also the disturbing reality that a lot of young girls still grow up thinking sports are not for them. Look at any activity or sticker book aimed at girls and you’ll note the very short list of what girls are supposed to like versus the longer list of physical activities that show up in the boy’s version.
I’ve noticed that at a certain age girls start to say, “I suck at sports” because that’s the equivalent of saying, “I’m as feminine as the pink-cushioned carriage I rode in on.”
Now, I may be a non-sporty mom, but I don’t want to hear my children saying they ‘suck’ at anything, especially something like this that has such a big impact on their health, happiness, and success.
I believe there are things that sports parents and us non-sporty parents can do to try to keep our kids feeling positive about being active and playing whatever sports they love no matter what societal or peer messages they come up against.
I’m no parenting expert. But here are some of my thoughts on how we can try to raise girls who don’t feel like they have to say they suck at sports:
Let her see you sweat.
No matter what other influences our daughters have in their lives, we are the number one most important determinant of the values they will have and how they will see themselves. Show them it’s okay to be active, to sweat, to ruin your hair and makeup, and that it’s fun and healthy.
Pay attention to her friends.
Try to expose her to lots of different types of kids, with varying degrees of abilities and interests. Same breeds same. By spending time with people who bring different perspectives and experiences, their worlds expand. It’s hard to feel like you have to be one way when you see so many people around you doing their own thing.
Build her self-esteem.
We all want our daughters to feel great about themselves but sometimes it’s easy to unconsciously chip away at her self-esteem by taking over in an effort to speed things up or prevent mistakes. Encourage her when she’s expressing her individuality. Let her pick her own clothes even if they don’t match. Teach her to do things for herself. It will make things harder in the short term but she will feel amazing because you trusted her to do it herself. And she won’t get into the habit of turning to others to make decisions for her or feel like she’s not competent.
Work on her movement skills.
Make it clear that you believe that being able to move with confidence is one of the most beautifully feminine traits there is. And the great thing about movement skills is there is no girls’ stream or boys’ stream. Physical literacy is equally good for boys and girls; as gender neutral as the colour yellow.
Get her moving and having success with moving as early as possible.
She’ll feel so good about what she can do that she’ll be able to slough off the ‘I suck at sports’ talk. This doesn’t mean putting her in formal sports lessons when she’s a toddler; it’s as easy as spending 15 minutes a day on fun activities that are appropriate for her skill level.
Focus on healthy choices for a healthy body.
Never talk about body image or diet (yours or hers). Talk to her about what her body can do as opposed to what it looks like. Give compliments that don’t focus on looks.
Talk with your daughter about the messages coming at her.
In an age appropriate way, help her question the status quo. Make sure she knows that she can love fashion and football and it doesn’t make her any less feminine, loveable, or cool.
Vote with your dollars.
Support the products and stores that make it clear that they believe sports, science, math, dolls, dress-up, crafts, and everything else in this amazing world we live in are for everyone.
Any other ideas how we can help our girls feel that they aren’t limited to tutus and leotards (not that there’s anything wrong with tutus and leotards!)? I would love to hear them!
This post was originally shared by Active for Life.
Tagged under: healthy,Sports,health,fitness,body,movement,daughters,body image
