Barbie 'I Can Be The Voice' on Facebook - Get Involved!

When I received the opportunity to join the Barbie I Can Be blog tour, my initial reaction was "Why would I involve myself with a Barbie program?  I don't have daughters, I have two sons!"  But I was instantly drawn to it, being a girl myself of course, but also coming from a family with A LOT of girls.  Although my boys don't play with Barbie at home (I know they have played with them at their cousins house, though!), I do whatever I can to encourage them to be the best they can be.  I also have three beautiful nieces, ages 3, 6 and 9.  I have watched them grow over the years, and am constantly reminded of my own childhood while watching them.  My sister works hard to instill the same values and goals into her girls, as I do with my boys.  Whether they play with Barbie or not, we are making sure that our children are growing up knowing that they can be whatever they want to be.

My Barbie Childhood

I have so many fond memories of playing with Barbie as a child.  My sister and I would spend hours planning her perfect outfit, fixing her hair, and getting her ready for a night out.  When my siblings and I received the Barbie And The Rockers set from Santa, we screamed with joy!  Aside from Barbie's perfect makeup, gorgeous gowns and shiny hair, I always loved that she could do anything and go anywhere, if I just used my imagination and pictured my own dreams.

Barbie working hard as a doctor!

Childhood Dreams

As a child, I had big dreams.  One day I wanted to be an artist and would practise drawing from text books that my uncle gave me.  The next day I was going to be a heart surgeon or a veterinarian.  The one dream that kept coming back year after year, though, was my dream to become a teacher.  I loved playing 'school' with my younger brother and sister and always imagined that I would be a teacher.  No matter what my dreams were, my mother always encouraged me to try my best, to work hard in school, and to be kind and courteous to others.  I believe that these life skills have helped me become the woman I am today, and have been passed along to my children.

Canadian Barbie eh!

Barbie and Mattel Canada are now offering a helping hand for parents raising girls with the Barbie I Can Be website, via Facebook.  Visit http://www.bethevoice.ca/ for interesting, helpful reading material and join in the conversations yourself!

Terry Carson, Canadian Parenting Coach extraordinaire is featured on Barbie I Can Be, offering incredible words of wisdom and articles that will really get yout thinking.  In her most recent article The Art of Encouragement, she discusses the differences between encouragement and praise, and why encouragement is so extremely important when raising children.  Here are a few statements from this article that really speak volumes:

"Raising a daughter to be all that she can be with confidence to assert herself and make sound choices, even when the crowd goes against her core values, can feel like a daunting task.  One of the most powerful tools I offer parents is the language of encouragement."

"I cannot overstate the power of using encouragement language when communicating with daughters.  When we encourage the efforts, rather than the achievements, we tell them that they hold the magic within themselves to be who they want and can be."

Terry's mission is "to support parents in being the kind of parents they really want to be by helping them develop the necessary skills and knowledge for parenting in today's world without guild and uncertainty."

She is a mother of four and understands the many demands and challenges facing parents today.  You can find more information about Terry Carson at her website http://www.theparentingcoach.ca/.

Whether you're raising daughters yourself or want to help out a loved one looking for advise, check out the Barbie I Can Be community on Facebook and join in!

Life is so serious, and I know that it can be very hard to be a girl as I had some very tough moments growing up.  Keep the communication open with your girls, and encourage them at every moment possible.  These girls will grow up to be mothers, aunts, best friends and grandmothers.  Women full of wisdom and unconditional love, leading their families and caring for their communities.  Let's all work together to make sure that our girls have every opportunity available, and strive to be whomever they want to be!

I am participating in the Barbie I Can Be campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Mattel Canada.  I received compensation as a thank you for my participation.  The opinions on this blog are my own.