As I watch my daughter, Lily, accidentally spill a cup of water on the kitchen floor, my partner, Jake, jokingly instructs her, “Lily, go grab a towel and clean that up.” Without hesitation, she jumps into action, carefully wiping up the mess and returning the towel to its place on the counter.
Jake marvels at her ability to follow his four-step command. At just 13 months old, Lily is the youngest of our two children, with her older brother, Ethan, already showing a very different approach. While he might have found the towel, he’d likely get sidetracked by a nearby toy or forget entirely that he was supposed to be cleaning up the spill.
In other words, I’ve witnessed the classic behavior differences between a “typical” boy and a “typical” girl.
Before Lily arrived, I often dismissed generalizations about kids based on gender. I would roll my eyes when parents of girls remarked on Ethan’s boyish antics while I chased him around the park, knowing their daughters were quietly playing. I resented the notion that rambunctiousness was inherently boyish, while calmness and maturity were lauded in girls. My mantra was, “Boys and girls are the same,” hoping it was a universal truth.
Then came Lily—a true baby, as I joked after having one of each. Reflecting on Ethan’s early years, I began to see him as a turkey that wasn’t quite done cooking. Everything seemed effortless for Lily, while Ethan often resembled a little whirlwind, leaving chaos in his path. I can’t even count the number of times he searched for his shoes only to discover they were already on his feet.
With just two kids as my sample size, it baffles me why women aren’t leading the world. My daughter is exceptional, but she’s not one of a kind. Many moms of toddler girls would echo my sentiment: their daughters are perfectly capable of running a country someday. Yet, somewhere along the way, those confident little girls often turn into shyer kids and then giggling schoolgirls. Women grow up needing reminders to assert themselves, even though we were born ready to take the lead.
My fascination with Lily’s confidence makes me reflect on my own childhood. I can’t help but wonder if I was just as self-assured at her age before the world taught me to tone it down. It’s a constant battle to feel comfortable in my own skin, and I realize I might have been just as capable as Lily is now.
It’s crucial that we prevent our daughters from losing their innate confidence. Just as we need to stop using negative labels for boys’ behavior, we have a responsibility to nurture our girls, allowing them to stay true to who they are from birth. They come into this world ready to run it; we simply need to step aside and let them shine.
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Summary:
As I observe the differences between my children, I reflect on the innate confidence girls possess from a young age. Despite societal pressures, we must encourage our daughters to remain true to themselves and embrace their leadership potential.
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