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“My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be,” Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler says. “Barbie has always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”
I wanted to share that quote with you because I couldn’t agree more: it’s important to teach our children that they have choices, that if they work hard, they can accomplish dreams, and that they shouldn’t afraid to dream big. Today, I’m working with Barbie to share this sponsored post with you. Their mission is to help girls realize that they can be ANYTHING.
This video shows just what happens when little girls take on their dream careers. Hidden cameras catch real reactions of others:
It’s our turn to empower our daughters to think big.
Here are 5 ways to empower little girls:
1). Let your child make choices.
Give your child choices, every day. They can be as simple as: “Which of these TWO outfits do you want to wear tomorrow?” or “Do you want milk or water for your dinner?” Letting her know that she has choices NOW will help her realize that she has the power to make important decisions later, like about where she wants to live or what she wants to be when she grows up. Give her toys that give her choices, too. This year for Christmas, Allie is getting these Barbie Career Dolls from Walmart.
I actually ended up giving her one of them early, but she doesn’t know about the rest yet. I gave her the Barbie® Builder Doll & Playset yesterday, complete with the Mega Bloks® bricks.
We had so much fun building with the 50+ pieces that offer endless possibilities for building and rebuilding. First, she built her own house using the Mega Bloks Compatibuild™ brick system and then she followed the directions to make a beach house.
This Barbie® doll comes in blue jeans, a t-shirt with yellow vest and boots. Allie played with the clothes for quite some time. (This was Barbie® after a hard day of work, building her beach house… she’s finally relaxing & taking off her orange tool belt, yellow vest & pink hardhat).
She plays with her new Barbie every night… I caught a little bit on camera. 😉
2). Let them take chances.
If you are always there to stop your child from making a mistake, they will rely on you forever. Let them take chances. Let them see that falling on the ground wasn’t so awful. I know, from experience, that when I guard our kids too much, I create an unnecessary fear in them. (ex: By me saying “Watch out! A bee!”, it had led to one of our children to be scared of bees for years. It has calmed down now that I have calmed down… but take it from me… they feed off of your fear!)
3) Teach them to dive in!
Even the most simple choices now can be the perfect way to let them learn how to face hard decisions down the road. Let them play with their toys, let them explore new things, let them make that recipe in the kitchen that will be messy. A little mess won’t hurt anyone and it will teach them responsibility when they have to clean up.
All of our kids love to experiment with recipes and make cookies with me. I often think that one day they will become food bloggers, themselves. 🙂 In the meantime, toys that encourage them to keep up with their interests are great ways to help them pursue the things that they love. That’s why we picked up the Barbie Careers Restaurants and Cooking Doll (2-pack) this year. They have to work together (teamwork!) and they will be working in the kitchen. The waiter is ready to with a tray & bowl of soup. The Barbie® chef doll cooks with her pot & ladle.
If they want to try something, tell them to go for it! If they are thinking something might be too hard… ask them “Why not just give it a shot? Whats the worst that can happen?” I try to be laid back with a lot of things and I hope that our kids see that. I let them have their say in what they wear (from what I have bought them in their closets- that limits their choice to what I have approved of already). I don’t let them try dangerous things, but I do encourage them to try things that they might be reluctant to try.
When our kids talk about their careers, I don’t want them to feel limited. I want them to know that if they work hard, they can achieve goals. If Allie chooses to become a scientist or a space explorer… she can work hard towards her goals. Yes, she’s mentioned both, which is why she is getting the Barbie Careers Space Exploration Doll (2-Pack). I want her to see the Barbie® astronaut doll, who can blast into space wearing a space suit with white gloves, boots, and a fun snap-on helmet. Barbie® space scientist doll helps launch the astronaut into space with the help of her laptop & knowledge.
5. ). Lead by example.
The best thing that we can do is to SHOW our kids, to be the kind of person that I want them to be. When I volunteer somewhere- guess what they want to do? When my husband offers to help someone- guess what they want to do? When we lead by example, our children watch and learn.
Now our question should be… What happens when girls are free to imagine they can be anything? 🙂
