Girls are seeking identity.  I often hear the question “Who am I?”  It’s a great question to ask.  It is also a very normal question to ask.  The truth is—finding your purpose and identity is a process.  Girls look to their friendships to gain clarity as to who they are.  They look to the media and to pop culture.  They look to their families.  Now that we have established that they are looking—we need to address the question of where to find confidence.

Girls will discover their confidence in everyday life but they need guidance, boundaries, support and positive role modeling. Girls crave authenticity.  This means that if a parent does not understand something or have an answer then the parent needs to commit to working with their daughter to find possible answers.  The following are some ways to build confidence:

• Learn how to set limits especially in relationships
• Learn that conflict is okay, even normal, and conflict-resolution skills can be acquired at any age
• Learn how to balance feedback and criticism
• Learn how to take healthy risks, both emotionally and socially
• Learn how to embrace mistakes and learn from them because we all make mistakes
• Understand emotions and be able to communicate how you feel clearly and without feeling guilty
• Learn how to embrace the awkwardness in life