International Women's Day - What I Want My Girls To Know

Today is International Women’s Day – a chance to celebrate women.  As I have been reflecting on this topic which I am so passionate about, I have been thinking about what I want to teach my female students about what it means to be a woman.  Because underneath the curly hair and school day ribbons, the blue uniforms, dirt-streaked faces, and skinned up knees, these five-year-olds are women.  And I want them to learn what that means.

I want my girls to know that they deserve respect.  That nobody has the right to treat them disrespectfully for any reason, including their gender.

I want my girls to know that they are strong and that strength has nothing to do with muscles.  Strength is standing up for what is right.  It’s loving completely.  It’s doing hard things.  It’s getting knocked down, standing up, brushing off the dust, and going back for round two.

I want my girls to know that there is hope.  Life is hard, particularly the life of poverty they have been born into.  But there is hope in the midst of it and there is also hope for a better future.

I want my girls to know that they are never alone.  That they will always have teachers, parents, siblings, and friends on their side.  Most importantly, they have a God who will never leave them or forsake them.

I want my girls to know that they can change the world.  Their stories, their opinions, and their voices matter, and if used properly, they can change the world for the better.

I want my girls to know that they can impact someone’s life.  Their struggles and hardships, their victories and triumphs.  By sharing these with others, they can have a lasting impact on another person.

I want my girls to know that they are beautiful, inside and out.  Their hearts, souls, and minds are beautiful.  Their skin, hair, and faces are beautiful.  Every inch of them is imprinted with the beauty of their Creator.

I want my girls to know that they are valued and loved.  No matter who they are, where they’ve been, or what they’ve done, they will ALWAYS be valued and loved beyond what they can possibly imagine.  There is a God in heaven who could never love them more or less than he does right now.

To be a woman is to deserve respect, to be strong, to have hope, to never be alone, to have the power to change the world and impact someone’s life, to be beautiful and valued and loved.

I celebrate International Women’s Day because I celebrate women and what it means to be a strong, beautiful woman.