Girl Power

There has been a lot of talk about bullying in the news lately. Every week I turn on the TV and see another story about an extreme case of bullying that ends in suicide. The video of Amanda Todd’s story had me sobbing. I am heartbroken that children can be so devastatingly mean to each other. I have 4 daughters and my hope for them is that they can grow up having a strong self esteem along with a respect for themselves and all their peers regardless of differences.

My 9 year old daughter and I attended a 2 hour crash course called Girl Power. This program is the vision of Dana Kerford, a Calgary school teacher, who saw a need for girls to have the tools to help them thru the difficult times with their friends. Girl Power is a friendship program that inspires “tween” girls (8-12 years old) to feel empowered, develop a strong sense of self and love themselves while learning to manage the most important thing to them: their friendships.

 

 

I really liked the program and feel like it gave Brigette some great ideas that she may not have thought about before. It also opened up a dialogue between us to share ideas and concerns she may have about her social circle. We had a lengthy conversation on the way home about the friend-o-meter and where some of her friends sit on the meter.

 

The biggest thing that I took away from the 2 hour session was how many of the descriptions of how tweens act socially to each other is the exact same way grown ass women act socially to each other. We all had a good, however slightly awkward, laugh when Dana flashed a cartoon on a big screen that showed 2 women greeting each other with a verbal hello while also showing the multiple non-verbal things that go on between women, most of which consist of us judging each other. It was painfully true and I realized at that moment how ridiculous I felt seeing myself in “tween” behaviour, that I so obviously hadn’t outgrown in over 25 years. I vowed to do my best to be aware of my behaviour and work to be a less judgemental and gossipy person. If I want my girls to be better friends, I need to be a better friend myself.

 

Never stop learning. Never stop growing.