Why this is important
During a coffee morning at a local playgroup, a few books were passed round that we could borrow. There were about 8 books, ranging from ‘who-done-its’ to ‘self-help’ books. Every single mum paused and leafed through the same book. It was called ‘How to change your life in 7 days’...
This made me sad. There is no doubt that whilst most women grow up knowing that they would love to be a mum sometime in their lives, the reality of having a child is often much harder than we imagined in every respect. But it also got me thinking, and made me more determined to help mums to actually do something about all the bits of their lives that they do want to change.
I have often wondered why it is that little girls are so much more feisty, determined, stubborn and independent than little boys, who are often more needy and sensitive, yet when you look at the adult version - it's often the opposite...
What happens to those little girls?
I asked my child psychologist friend, and her theory is that little girls tend to get praised for being nice, kind, gentle, loving. Little boys get praised for being strong, playful and tough. As we grow up, therefore, we start to 'conform' to what we think people want us to be like and abandon some of our natural behaviour. Yet aren't determination, feistiness and independence great traits to have as a woman?!
I also believe that when we become mothers, we often give up on our own dreams and determination to get what we want out of our one life. But we mustn’t. And this is what 'you blossom' is all about.
Imagine the kind of woman you want your daughter to be.
Imagine the kind of female role model you want to be for your son.
We can nurture all we like – but their greatest role model in life is you. What does your life look like through their eyes?
What would you like it to look like?
We must stay inspired by our own lives in order to inspire our kids.