Our girls are brought up to play with barbies (or bratz dolls), wear frilly outfits and to keep their hands clean. They get the option of doing push ups on their knees rather than on their toes in gym class and most can't do one pull up.
Instill self-trust at a young with constant physical activity!
In other words, they are treated like fragile objects, which in turn ensures they grow up and remain fragile objects. Fragility = Vulnerability. Our young girls should be treated and encouraged the same as our boys. They should be educated, respected and nurtured the same way. They should be taught to be strong, confident and self-sufficient.

Women are more apt to suffer from depression, eating disorders and anxiety issues than men and this is exacerbated by the fact that obesity rates are skyrocketing among the youngest in our population. Furthermore, women suffer more from physical and sexual assault than men each year.

What if this could all be different? What if our girls grew up to be women who faced a lesser chance of becoming a victim of assault and psychological suffering?

If a girl grows up to believe that her body truly is her temple- something that should be taken care of and respected, then she will be less apt to experiment with drugs and alcohol as she gets older. She will love herself too much to harm her body and tolerate abuse from others and will even be more physically capable of protecting herself if need be.

This all must be instilled by the best role model out there... YOU. If we practice what we preach and show our girls how to live, they will follow us. As a parent or guardian, you will be a greater influence on your kids than their friends or celebrities ever thought of being. It's about blurring the line between genger difference in terms of self-esteem and capability and it starts with you.