A daughter is indeed a blessing who needs to be raised with great love, affection, support and protection. She has to play many roles in her life; from being a daughter to a sister, from being a friend to a lover, from being a wife to a daughter-in-law and a mother; her life is dedicated to the people she is connected with.
But somehow, the world has always been unfair to daughters. However, times have changed and women today have truly come a long way. From being put behind veils, they are now taking up the deadliest of challenges in every field thus proving their strength and self-esteem. Having said that, challenges for women are still the same and they have to fight all the odds of life in order to make a life of their own. But this can only happen if daughters are taught some important life lessons.
Here check out the lessons you must teach your daughter and help her take on this life’s journey with confidence and power. Have a look:
1. Good touch, bad touch
It’s very important that you teach your daughter about a good touch and a bad touch. Given the increasing ration of crime against girls and women, it’s vital that you keep your little princess prepared for the same. She should know what a good touch is and how a bad touch feels. She should be told to object a touch that makes her feel uncomfortable. No one has the right to touch her body parts inappropriately?no matter whosoever it; an uncle, aunty, a known person or anyone around. She has all the rights to object to a bad touch.
2. Being yourself
Teach her that she needs to be what she is; both from within and on the outer side. She doesn’t have to please people around and change her demeanor just to make them happy. She has her own identity and she should always cherish that. Till the time her actions don’t hurt anyone around, she should never worry what others say or think. She should just simply be herself!
3. Always be an explorer
Life is too small to be spent living in a shell. Encourage your daughter to live it fully and explore every corner of the world. Tell her that she should travel to her heart’s content and make her life’s journey a memorable one.
4. Live for yourself too
While taking care of the relations around, tell her not to forget her own self. She needs to live for herself too. She has all the rights to fulfill her desires and make her choices before her life’s journey comes to an end.
5. Pursue your passions and fulfill your dreams
In the Indian society, a girl is often not given the same opportunities to pursue her chosen career as much as a boy is. Teach your daughter to never give up on her dream. Be there as her support system.
6. People without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture are like trees without roots!
Teach your daughter to be grounded and aware of our Indian values and traditions. Our values and traditions teach us a lot about respect, trust, faith and harmony. All these are essential to live a fulfilling life.
7. Don’t think of yourself as the victim
In the constant battles of life, it is possible to assume the role of the weaker sex. And our society has and will on numerous occasions perceive her as that. Tell her to overcome this fear. Empower her to break out of this illusion. Show empathy and not sympathy when she is facing a challenge. And most importantly always teach her that she doesn't have to settle with things out of compulsion.
8. Respect & love your body
Her body will keep on changing, there’s nothing to worry or feel sad about. Teach her to respect and love her body. Take good care of herself and give her body the pampering it needs. Be it menstruation or growing breasts, she doesn’t have to feel ashamed or shy about anything. It’s a part of the growth cycle and it’s completely normal.
9. Turn away from discriminations
The society is full of discriminations done on the basis of class, color, race, gender, religion etc. Teach your daughter that she doesn’t have to give any attention to these hypocrite rules made by the society. She should look and treat people as just an individual.
10. Speak up your mind
Listening to others is good but hiding your own thoughts is not wise. Teach her that she should always speak her mind no matter what. If she isn’t happy with anything around, she should raise her concern rather than subjecting to the unnecessary rules and demands.
11. Sometimes silence is the best tool
It’s not necessary to take up every fight or answer back all lecherous people around. Sometimes silence is the best treatment and answer to them. But tell to never make silence a permanent shield.
12. Believe in yourself & follow your heart
Teach her to follow her instincts and do what her hearts feels okay. She should have complete faith in her and she should never really be bothered about others opinions and thoughts.
13. Marriage is not a necessity
Tell her that she doesn’t have to get married only because the society has this as a must to be followed norm. Marriage is an individual choice and she has the right to decide whether or not she wants to get married.
14. Cherish your friends forever
Make her cherish her friends forever. Teach her that friends are meant for a lifetime and she should choose them wisely. She should be friends with people who she thinks will stand by her side at all times.
Make life a memorable and content journey for your daughter. See t it that she lives her life on her own terms while respecting and nurturing the relations she is connected to!