How to Raise a Strong Girl in a Princess World

When my oldest daughter Leslie was 5-years-old she refused to wear pants… for a whole year… because she was a princess. I thought it was cute for the first month, but we lived in Montana. Have you ever tried to dress someone in a snowsuit while they were wearing a dress?

I have seven daughters (and three sons) and I love princesses and sparkles. Yet at the same time, I also believe that it’s important to teach our girls to be strong. Girls can be both princesses and strong!

Here are ten ways to teach strength to our princesses:

1. Teach your daughter to volunteer and serve others. Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another humbly in love.” Even young children can help with younger siblings, with friends, or in the community. Serving others teaches girls about their abilities, talents and worth. It shows them how they are capable.
2. Teach her to try something new. When girls try something new like cooking, planting flowers, sewing, or completing a craft they discover they are strong and capable.
3. Read Missionary stories. Our favorites that we’ve read this year are Corrie ten Boom, Mary Slessor, Ida Scudder and Amy Carmichael. They are amazing stories of strong women.
4. Read stories of strong women from series like Brave Girls of the Bible, or the ICB Princess Sparkle Bible; women like Abigail, Ruth, Esther, and Deborah. God called ordinary women to do amazing things. He also showed that He could be strong through me.
5. Show appreciation for good character qualities your daughter displays. Compliment character, values, and behavior, not just looks. Teach her that one’s heart attitude is more important than physical beauty.
6. Work with your daughter to explore her interests. God gave her strengths, and talents and He wants her to use them.
7. Be careful of media influences, magazines, and social media. These often give the wrong messages to our daughters. Fill her up with God’s Word, which speaks of her value, instead of letting her mind be filled with things that pull her down.
8. Sign her up for a self-defense or karate class. Girls get confidence when they discover how strong their bodies can be, and how they can protect themselves.
9. Read Proverbs 31 together and talk about what it means. A woman of God has many strengths. She can work in many ways through the season of their lives. A girly Bible like the ICB Golden Princess Sparkle Bible or the pink and sparkly NKJV Early Readers Bible can show her that it’s ok to embrace the feminine side God gave her, even as she explores her brave and bold side.
10. Be a model for having confidence. Don’t talk negatively about yourself. Even though girls love being called princesses, we also need to teach them that they are daughters of God, our King. They also need to see you as a daughter of the King! As a mom, you are an example to your daughter of how a daughter of the King sees herself. So, Mom, be the example of reading God’s Word, seeing yourself as unique and special, and have the confidence to shine!

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Your Turn

How have you tried to build strength and confidence in your daughter, granddaughter, or niece? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!