Parenting Pointers: Empowering Girls

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

As the mother of two daughters, I want to make sure they grow up with a healthy sense of self-esteem. There are unfortunately many messages women receive today, not all of them healthy. Despite the best efforts of a variety of people, girls still get the idea that they need to be pretty, smart but not too smart, popular, funny, and athletic - and they need a boy. If they don't have it all, then they aren't worth as much as someone else. Even the recent Dove campaign, where an artist sketches portraits of women based on their descriptions and how other people describe them, falls a little flat by using women that all have a certain level of beauty and style, mostly similar age and race.
So how can you encourage girls' self-esteem and help them rise above the mixed messages?
First of all, praise is good. But you want to make sure it's well-rounded. Constantly praising a child because they're smart or pretty may seem fine, but it starts to pigeonhole them and may lead to self-doubt when they tackle a challenge they can't figure out or have a body that doesn't develop the way they'd like it too. So praise your child for effort, for attitude, and even for beauty and talent, but not just for that.
Secondly, find solid role models. These can be celebrities, notable people that have done great things, or even people in your neighborhood that have values you admire. It's helpful to include role models from a variety of races.
Third, have open conversations with your daughters and other girls. Acknowledge the messages the media sends out, and use it to start a discussion on self-esteem and what makes them special.
Finally, be aware of what messages their clothing and toys sends to them and to others. Playing with traditionally gender-oriented toys is fine, but encourage well-roundedness in what they play with. Dressing in feminine clothing is fine, but be careful to instill a sense of modesty and appropriate wear, and look for clothes that send a strong message, like those available at Girls Can't WHAT? These shirts (and accessories and posters and more) show girls in a variety of roles, both traditionally female and male, like sports, playing different instruments, military, careers, and more. I got my daughter the scientist shirt, because that's her favorite subject in school right now. The shirt came very quickly and the message it sends is strong - girls can do anything. They even have a shot put shirt, which I think I want to order for myself and wish they had when I was in high school!