How to Raise Glass Shattering Daughters

I came across the quote, “Teach your daughters to worry less about fitting into glass slippers and more about shattering glass ceilings.” It really spoke to me.

I have two amazing, strong, intelligent, and beautiful daughters. I don’t want them to be held back by any glass ceiling.

Merriam-Webster defines a glass ceiling as “an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions.”

There’s a lot of talk about glass ceilings, and it is so exciting to be living in a time when women are shattering them right and left.

But it still takes work.

As their mom, I want to do all I can to help encourage my daughters to shatter glass ceilings.

Here are some of the ways I am trying to raise my glass shattering girls.

Embrace STEM

According to AAUW, “Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.”

The best way to show girls they have a place in STEM is to get them started with it while they are young. My girls enjoy STEM toys, have taken STEM classes, and have spent summers in STEM camps.

Boost Their Confidence

According to a study reported by the BBC, “Girls lose faith in their own talents by the age of six.” Yikes! I do not want my girls to ever lose faith in their own talents. I make every effort to tell them how great they are and encourage their unique talents every chance I get.

Introduce Positive Female Role Models

There is no shortage of role models in the world – good and bad. I try to be strategic about introducing my girls to positive female role models. I do so by using real life, history, books, and even movies and television shows.

Teach Them to Know Their Worth

Forbes claims, “Self-worth is a self-evaluative emotional reaction. It’s a feeling of confidence in our abilities and qualities.” And much of our self-worth is defined in early childhood. This means that we, as moms, have a huge role to play in helping our daughters believe in their intrinsic value and worth. My goal is to make them feel known, seen, loved, and valued throughout their lives.

Show Them Women Support Women

If you want your daughters to shatter glass ceilings, you’ve got to teach them to support other women. Show her the importance of cheering other girls on and encouraging others. I do the same.

Model Empowering Behaviors

Finally, I am trying my hardest to model these types of behaviors for my daughters. I am trying to show them that they can love shoes (I mean, hello!) and love technology. I am trying to speak words of life and love to them daily. I am trying to recognize my own value and demonstrate it by the way I practice self-care and positive self-talk.

What are you doing to help your daughters break glass ceilings?