5 parents talk about how they raise their daughter to become a happy and confident woman

Girls should not have six-pack abs; they must look pretty always! And yes, avoid wearing ‘revealing’ clothes, you might invite unwanted troubles on streets. What about marriage? You will definitely miss out good guys if you don’t get hitched before turning 30. Now that you are married, what are your plans about starting a family? Oh wait, girls today are unstoppable and can achieve whatever they aspire for in life.You are the master of your own life and can follow your dreams. Sounds familiar, eh?
Girls grow up receiving mixed signals in our society. While we talk about matters like women empowerment, gender equality and feminism, a section of our society still gender stereotypes profession, body image, rights and even household chores. Hence, here comes the role of good parenting that can help a girl child to find her way out of all such conundrums, and become a confident individual. We got in touch with parents from different walks of life and asked them how they are raising their daughters to become a content, independent and confident person. Here are some of their insightful responses…
Let her make her own choices
“I don’t want my five-year-old daughter to grow up while making choices being influenced by the society, friends, family or even her parents. She must know she has the freedom to make decisions based on her preferences, likes and dislikes. A few days back, all her friends were discussing whether their favourite colour is pink or blue. She thought for a second and chose pink. I realised she did so only under the influenced of her friends because otherwise her favourite colour is blue. I politely taught her the importance of choosing the colour (in fact, anything that matters) based on her own liking and logic. It’s completely okay to make your own choice and have different opinions from others,” shared Indu Sharma, a teacher.
It’s okay to be imperfect
“I have a daughter who is in her early teens, and I know she is going through a phase in life where she fears being judged for not having an ideal body, looks, dressing sense and what not. The best parenting tip I have given her is to accept herself the way she is. One must strive to become the better version of themselves but never try to impersonate someone else. It is completely okay to be imperfect, and one must never compromise on their self-esteem,” opines Mohit Sharma, a marketing professional.

Let her explore and experience
“I have always given utmost importance to my daughter’s safety but have never stopped her from exploring the world, and even herself. I let her travel, try out different things, make eccentric choices and choose what she thinks will be good for her. I want her to learn from her own experiences (even if she fails), and that would surely help her to become a confident and independent person,” says Sudhir Gupta, an IT professional.
Be her friend
“According to me, every parent should be their daughter’s good friend to help her become a cheerful and confident woman. Every kid needs support and guidance in the initial years when they start to explore things around them. My daughter can uninhibitedly ask me anything (she recently asked me about sex and what it means), and shares whatever is bothering her. We have candid, healthy discussions on different topics almost every second day. I am sure this is helping her to become a liberal and self-assured individual,” shares Sunil Chopra, an entrepreneur.

Me before anyone else
“I feel girls in our society grow up seeing their mothers working hard for managing the entire household, taking care of every member’s well-being and end up compromising on their own needs. This habit of sacrificing for everyone’s happiness dominates a girl’s mind subconsciously and in turn, she grows up becoming an overgenerous woman. I have always taught my daughter to place her needs before anyone else’s. It is important to be self-centered, and compromising is not always the right thing,” opines Parvathi Venugopal, a homemaker.