If you have been shopping at our kids’ fashion boutique for any length of time, you probably know that we believe in raising powerful girls. We know that fighting like a girl isn’t a put down. Girls can be strong and powerful and they can still wear pink if they want to. 

“Powerful girls grow up feeling secure in themselves. They learn to take action, making positive choices about their own lives and doing positive things for others. They think critically about the world around them. They express their feelings and acknowledge the feelings and thoughts of others in caring ways,” PBS says. “Powerful girls will grow up to lead full, valuable lives.”

Our Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Tee from Spiritual Gangster kids’ line says it all.

Raising Strong, Powerful Girls

Young girls need our help to develop their powers. The folks at PBS talked to a variety of experts to get advice on raising strong girls. Here are some of the tips that were shared by Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out :

• Help her find activities that she loves. It’s a great way to boost self-esteem. “Having a passion lets her go shoot baskets or play an instrument, for example, instead of being swept up in online drama,” Simmons told PBS. 

If her passion is butterflies, she will love this Farrah Butterfly Jogger Set from Lola and the Boys.

• Don’t always jump in to solve problems for her. “When parents take over, girls don’t develop the coping skills they need to handle situations on their own,” Simmons says.

JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., author of Girls Will Be Girls, had this advice to offer:

• Encourage her to become a risk taker. “Girls who avoid risks have poorer self-esteem than girls who can and do face challenges,” says Deak told PBS. “Urge your daughter to go beyond her comfort zone — for example, encourage a girl who’s scared to ride her bike downhill to find just a small hill to conquer first.” 

And Meg White, M.A., had this to add:

• Love her for who she is, not just the way she looks. “Comment on the way she carries herself into a room or the ideas she is expressing before commenting on her looks,” White told PBS. “She needs you to know her insides and validate the developing person within, as well as noticing her emerging young womanhood.” 

We love the way she said that! It’s not an either/or proposition. You can show your daughters that you value what is on the inside without abandoning the fun of helping her explore her own fashion identity at our kids’ fashion boutique!