What it means to raise a girl in this world

Graduation season is upon us, and while family members will cheer and be reprimanded for doing just that, for some of us, it’s just the beginning.

You see, my daughter, Aubrey, graduates from kindergarten next week. We’ll celebrate with brunch on Monday after the ceremony, and then it’ll be over.

(Kind of. She did mention to her grandfather she expects a present just like she received for pre-kindergarten graduation.)

I’ll admit it, I wanted all boys. I knew what it would mean to raise a girl, especially in this world.

It would mean sass, pre-teen years, attitude adjustments, Dad being the good guy, etc.

But it also means I would need to show her how to be a strong woman, and that isn’t easy.

She needs to understand that sometimes grown men will call you “Sweetie” and “Sugar,” and sometimes — yes, sometimes — they don’t mean that in an offensive way.

The other week on a class assignment, she wrote that she wants to work at the newspaper when she gets older. Sure, you can insert whatever jokes you want here, but media play a huge role in our society and will continue to grow in its importance.

I wasn’t worried for her, if that’s what she ultimately wants to do. My mind immediately went to a situation I had with a colleague.

The person I interviewed rarely looked me in the eyes and spoke directly to the man in the room probably 90 percent of the time.

Was I slightly offended? Sure, I believe most women would be. Did I want to scream and interrupt him the way he did me? Of course. Did I add it to my “something to prove” list? Heck yeah.

Statistics show women who are bosses are often called bossy, or that other “B” word. It’s how you take those situations and use them as motivation that defines how people characterize you.

For Mother’s Day, my son, Logan, completed a worksheet with one sentence saying “My mommy’s job is …” and he was to complete the sentence.

“… to be a boss,” he wrote.

I cried. Maybe it was because I was gone for days and my emotions were raw. But I felt like he understands it’s OK to be a woman, mom and supervisor. He gets it.

I don’t think raising a girl is going to be any easier nowadays, even with more open-minded boys alongside them.

But I pray for and work hard to make sure she has the confidence instilled in her that I feel is necessary to battle the people who don’t believe she should be asking the questions. I hope she also understands the need to bite her tongue when no good will come from saying what she thinks.

She deserves the same world and opportunities her brother will have.

So, while I’m happy kindergarten is behind us and we have the reading thing down pat, I hope I’m ready for the big stuff that’s around the corner, like boys and puberty and piercings.

I’m certain my confidence will take quite a hit from all of that.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "What it means to raise a girl in this world."