An article recently came through my news feed called "Raising a Kind Daughter."
"We all want to raise kind daughters. We want them to be good friends and have good friends...kindness among young girls doesn't start on the playground or in the locker room -- it starts at home. Most notably, it starts with kind mothers raising kind daughters. Our girls see how we treat our friends. They also notice how we treat their friends.
If we treat their friends as competitors, our daughters will, too. If we love their friends like we love our own children, they're more likely to see them as sisters and part of the family."
What a great message!
As women we can be so very hard on ourselves.
We compare ourselves to our friends thinking, "She is so much shorter, taller, skinnier, prettier, stronger, faster, smarter, richer, happier than me." So in turn we try and project perfection on those around us, thinking, "My kid is so smart, my husband is so wonderful, my vacations are so fabulous, my clothes are so stylish, my job is amazing, or I get to stay at home with the kids so obviously they are happier and more loved than yours. "
As I have grown older (and a tad wiser...I hope) I don't feel the need to compete with my friends. I want them to succeed and be shorter, taller, skinnier, prettier, stronger, faster, smarter, richer and happier than me. I want to celebrate their kids' successes, their marriages, their fantastic vacations (even if I don't get to come along), new houses, even new PRs in the gym.
And if they fall, I want to be there to pick them up, cheer them up and dry those tears. I know my friends do that for me.
I hope my kids pick up on that and make wise choices when choosing their own friends. In this world of cyber-bulling, instant messaging, FaceTime, and Facebook, I worry about my kids and the harsh realities that they face growing up.
I think choosing kind friends and showing others kindness will go a long way in combating some of the harsh realities of life.
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