O Goddesses! The other day, my daughter compared me to Oprah. "Did you know she wrote a book, Mommy? She's an author like you!"
Swoon!
I love that my daughter's heroes are kind, warm, strong, smart women. I'm a little humbled to be counted among them, but I will own that I have cultivated my daughter's perception of feminine greatness on purpose. Instead of attempting the futile task of screening her from everything bad, disappointing, and degrading in the world, I simply fill her awareness with positive role models and normalize them. Last week, my daughter and I watched some beautiful TV moments online--Pretty Yende singing "Una Voce Poco Fa" and Michelle Obama housing homeless vets.
UPDATE: We just went and saw Hidden Figures! "Like Ghostbusters, but real!" said my five-year-old about this film about a team of female scientists. She came home and painted flight trajectories and math equations on a canvas.
And I'm not the only woman in my daughter's life who curates her entertainment and artistic inspirations. My fairy godsisters see what I'm doing, and they sprinkle their own fairy dust on our life.
Yesterday, I went out to my mailbox expecting to find the usual junk mail that I toss into the recycling bin on the way back to the house. But instead, there was all this color and glitter and--I swear--California sunshine and warmth inside there. Sometimes the sparks of energy that you fling out into the universe come back to you like shooting stars on the coldest, darkest day. Sometimes you mail out a bare-assed, sarcastic Christmas card and a friend sends you really nice gifts in return. Sometimes you pay a bucket of money for an artsy magazine subscription and kind of forget about it. And then you open up the mailbox one day and find this.
My little lady was thrilled when she got off the school bus to find such glorious loot on the table--the latest issue of Kazoo Magazine and some girl-power treats from artist friend Leyna. She immediately began identifying the famous women in the coloring book and making some sketches in a glittery gold Moleskine. Naturally.
My daughter is growing up in a home where women and femininity are celebrated in many forms and she knows that she is good and valuable and powerful because of--not in spite of--her femininity. And that makes me feel successful as a mother.
Now I have to work hard on stepping up my career success before my daughter discovers the difference between Oprah and me. ;) Shoot for the stars!
Swoon!
I love that my daughter's heroes are kind, warm, strong, smart women. I'm a little humbled to be counted among them, but I will own that I have cultivated my daughter's perception of feminine greatness on purpose. Instead of attempting the futile task of screening her from everything bad, disappointing, and degrading in the world, I simply fill her awareness with positive role models and normalize them. Last week, my daughter and I watched some beautiful TV moments online--Pretty Yende singing "Una Voce Poco Fa" and Michelle Obama housing homeless vets.
UPDATE: We just went and saw Hidden Figures! "Like Ghostbusters, but real!" said my five-year-old about this film about a team of female scientists. She came home and painted flight trajectories and math equations on a canvas.
And I'm not the only woman in my daughter's life who curates her entertainment and artistic inspirations. My fairy godsisters see what I'm doing, and they sprinkle their own fairy dust on our life.
Yesterday, I went out to my mailbox expecting to find the usual junk mail that I toss into the recycling bin on the way back to the house. But instead, there was all this color and glitter and--I swear--California sunshine and warmth inside there. Sometimes the sparks of energy that you fling out into the universe come back to you like shooting stars on the coldest, darkest day. Sometimes you mail out a bare-assed, sarcastic Christmas card and a friend sends you really nice gifts in return. Sometimes you pay a bucket of money for an artsy magazine subscription and kind of forget about it. And then you open up the mailbox one day and find this.
My little lady was thrilled when she got off the school bus to find such glorious loot on the table--the latest issue of Kazoo Magazine and some girl-power treats from artist friend Leyna. She immediately began identifying the famous women in the coloring book and making some sketches in a glittery gold Moleskine. Naturally.
My daughter is growing up in a home where women and femininity are celebrated in many forms and she knows that she is good and valuable and powerful because of--not in spite of--her femininity. And that makes me feel successful as a mother.
Now I have to work hard on stepping up my career success before my daughter discovers the difference between Oprah and me. ;) Shoot for the stars!
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