Teach Your Daughter to Throw Like a Girl

Disclosure:  Thanks to Becky Wilcox, site supporter, for this post.

I remember a time when in some circles, all you heard about was the importance of male bonding. That was always a perplexing idea to me. Not that I didn’t believe that males should bond with one another in socially and culturally significant ways, but that the imperative to bond so earnestly omitted 50% of the population, namely, females.

Either the proponents of male bonding figured that females already had the whole bonding thing worked out. Or it was a sign of a more culturally acceptable form of misogyny that is, hopefully, on the outs. Allow me to plant my flag in the ground here and now: Everyone is in equal need of bonding. Both sons and daughters need to form bonds with parents and peers.

The problem with gender-specific bonding is that artificial, gender-specific roles are created and codified. Boys bond with dad and learn to work on automobiles, while girls bond with mom and learn to cook. This does not reflect the current social realities, and certainly does not appear to be where the future is headed.

The segregation of these social roles tends to be more limiting for females. There are ways parents can bond with daughters in ways that prioritize other things besides looking pretty and capturing a man’s affections through the art of baked goods. While no one is going to turn down a freshly baked pie, consider bonding with your daughters through the following activities:

Sports

Why do we believe that boys are the only ones who should grow up strong and agile? It is as if we are trapped in the days of Penelope Pitstop, where there will always be a need for a strong, brave man to rescue a damsel in distress. Fortunately, some are waking up to the reality that we have the ability to raise females who can take care of themselves, and do not need rescuing.

Athletics is an excellent way to develop physical and mental prowess in both boys and girls. I am not suggesting you have to strap on shoulder pads and a helmet for full contact football. But there is no reason why a mom and daughter can’t oil up the old leather gloves and enjoy a vigorous game of catch. That doesn’t take a lot of specialized equipment. 

The range of gloves can be overwhelming for those new to the market. You can easily find products ranging from basic to professional. The gloves from HomerunMonkey.com and other online retailers represent a large spectrum of style and personalization. Baseball gloves are one of those very personal items that you tend to get what you put into them.

Tech

Math and engineering are not just for boys, and neither are computers. Giving your daughter a pink GameBoy for playing My Little Pony is not what I mean by using tech to bond with your daughter. Not that there is anything wrong with playing a fun game. But real empowerment comes with the ability to design and code the game, rather than just play it.

Tech companies are spilling the beans about their diversity profiles. Their ranks are light on women and minorities. Education is a big factor. In two states, there were no women who took the AP computer science test. Empowering girls through tech earlier in life will help overcome this disparity.

Conversation

Conversation is not just a matter of a delivery system for daily gossip. Good conversation is practically a lost art, like letter writing. I am referring to the type of conversation that leads to mental stimulation. Think competitive debate. Commenting on a study about debate, the DoE had this to say:

It found that competitive debate significantly raises graduation rates, ACT scores, and students’ GPA—and that’s even after controlling for student self-selection in to competitive debate.

There was a time when a boy who questioned things was considered inquisitive, while a girl doing the same was considered argumentative. Those days are behind us. It is important to engage our daughters mentally with the kind of conversation that provokes, concise and creative thought processes.

Teaching your daughter to throw like a girl is just one of the ways to raise a healthier, smarter, more confident woman.