Tag Archives: raising girls

Inspiring Children to be Lifelong Learners

  By Donna DeForbes | August 11, 2015 - 5:00 am |
11 Comments
Inspiring Children as Lifelong Learners | Eco-Mothering.com

Welcome to the August 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have talked about how they continue learning throughout life and inspire their children to do the same. ***** From the beginning, my husband and I have been less focused on the academic standards of a school and more interested in what Sofie will learn from her school environment about communication, conflict resolution, working as a team or making mistakes… Rather than be someone who learns just enough to pass the test, we want her to be a lifelong learner. Because of this, we’ve been front-loading her education, spending our dollars in the formative early years as opposed to saving for college, a time when Sofie will be living the values, qualities and influences that she experienced … Continue reading →

BE YOUR OWN YOU! Girls and Self-Esteem

  By Donna DeForbes | June 4, 2013 - 5:30 am | ,
4 Comments
Girls and Self-Esteem | Eco-Mothering.com

Since the moment I knew I was having a baby girl, I wanted her to be strong and confident and brimming with the self-esteem that eluded me as a girl. (Do mothers of sons have these thoughts, or do we naturally assume boys are born with loads of self-esteem?) I still struggle with maintaining confidence in who I am or what I do. Feeling “not enough” is one of my gremlins. So how do I teach my daughter what I never learned? And what exactly is self-esteem? One dictionary offered two contradictory definitions: self-es•teem (noun) 1. A realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect. 2. An unduly high opinion of oneself; vanity Those who follow the second definition equate self-esteem with conceit (ridiculous, isn’t it?) and therefore tend to see it as a bad thing. They use phrases like “having a big head” or “getting too big for your britches.” Sadly, these parents usually have low opinions of themselves because they too were raised … Continue reading →