In her post on The Secret to Raising a Kind Daughter, writer Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis describes the special friendship between her 10-year-old daughter, Ella, and her friend Annie, who supported one another even as they were competitors in a school election. Kampakis observes, All four of my girls have found friends similar to Annie. While no friendship is perfect, Ive been surprised by some of the kindness Ive seen at young ages. They know how to look out for a friend. They get it. And can I tell you what their kind friends all have in common? Kind mothers. Kindness among young girls doesnt start on the playground or in the locker room -- it starts at home, she continues. Most notably, it starts with kind mothers raising kind daughters. Our girls see how we treat our friends. They also notice how we treat their friends. If we treat their friends as competitors, our daughters will, too. If we love their friends like we love our own children, theyre more likely to see them as sisters and part of the family. And, she concludes, We moms rub off on our girls. Over time our way of thinking becomes their way of thinking. If we want to raise kind daughters, we need to start by being kind mothers. What do you think about Kampakis assertion about the influence of mothers on daughters? Have you seen a similar dynamic among the mothers and daughters that you know? For reading recommendations to help both children and teens learn them how to be great friends, check out our post Making and Keeping Friends: Mighty Girl Books About Friendship at amightygirl/blog?p=4661 For a wonderful book that helps foster childrens compassion for others by giving them a visual way to think about kindness, we highly recommend Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids for ages 4 to 8 at amightygirl/have-you-filled-a-bucket-today For more Mighty Girl stories for all ages that emphasize the value of compassion, visit our Kindness / Compassion section at amightygirl/books/personal-development/values?cat=223 And, if youre looking for advice on dealing with challenging parents, check out the helpful guide Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads: Dealing with the Difficult Parents in Your Childs Life at amightygirl/queen-bee-moms-and-kingpin-dads
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 23:28:57 +0000
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