I was never what you would call a girly-girl...I have a lot of fond memories as a young child and most of them involve climbing trees, playing with boys and riding my big-wheel (remember those?). I have one really great memory of visiting my friend across the street, a boy. He answered the door and told me I was a girl and I should not be wearing jeans. I remember telling him I could wear whatever I wanted!
Fast forward to now and I am a mother of two amazing girls. Two strong and independent girls who are obsessed with all things girly. They love pink and purple. They love to wear skirts and dresses. They love to have their nails painted and their hair done up with fancy ribbons. They love to put on lipbalm and call it make-up and put on bracelets and necklaces. Of course I'm not complaining because they have brought out the girl in me for sure, I even own a pink jacket now for goodness sake! Plus all the amazing shopping that comes along with girls...Kyle's response when I bring home new clothes is 'eh - I'll wear it', whereas Jillian has squeals of joy when a new dress or skirt shows up in her closet.
And so it is no surprise my girls love (and I mean LOVE) Barbie - the dolls, the books, the movies. As a mom I'm always looking for ways to teach my kids about the important things. While there are many opportunities for tiny life lessons, I do find reading books and watching movies is one of the best ways to start up some of these conversations. The reason our Barbie book and dvd collection has been growing is because I am loving the focus of these stories and our discussions about them. The strong character traits...confidence, friendship, loyalty, problem solving skills. All wrapped up in a pink, girly package that appeals to my girls.
I sure didn't think I would be talking about Barbie and using her latest story as a jumping off point in my conversations 6 years ago when Jillian was a baby. In fact I'll admit I was very happy to have a little girl with a big brother and a house filled with cars, trains, puzzles and lego. This will be great I thought to myself. Then Jillian got older and her oh-so-very-pink-personality really started to show. It wasn't long before dolls, art supplies and bead making kits took over our house. So I think one of the biggest ways I've been able to encourage Jillian, and now Leah, is to embrace their interests. We all know kids learn best when they are interested in the topic at hand. So using these stories has been great as a jumping off point for our discussions about solving problems, being a good friend and looking beyond pretty clothes and external beauty.
I truly think embracing things that interest my kids is the best way to encourage them and help them grow. And of course this extends beyond Barbie. The girls have an avid interest in all things arts and crafts related so we have a designated craft area on the mainfloor which is fully stocked, and hold a family membership to an art gallery. Jillian knows jeans and tshirts are my main wardrobe staple, but she also knows I buy her skirts and dresses because she loves them. I hope my kids always know their choices are valid, even if they are different from other people. In our house that means we embrace the pink!
Take a minute to visit the Barbie I Can Be website, there are some great discussion points on there and Terry Carson (a parenting coach) has some great words of advice.
www.bethevoice.ca
Disclosure– I am participating in the Barbie I Can Be campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Mattel Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.
