As a mother of a teenage daughter and a former teacher, I know the importance of teaching girls how to love themselves unconditionally. Did you know that 7 out of 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, their performance in school, or their relationships with their families and friends? When I read this statistic it made me wonder just when do our girls lose their self-confidence? When do they go from little girls who do not have a care in the world filled with confidence and self-esteem to girls who are filled with self-doubt and do not love what they see when they look in the mirror?  As Mothers, Teachers and Friends, it is our job to Educate, Inspire and Empower our girls.

On International Women’s Day, and every other day of the year, lead by example by celebrating with them and encouraging them to reach out, learn more and become empowered.

Here are some great ideas for celebrating International Women’s Day:

Give her a biography of a woman who accomplished important goals in her life. if you can match the woman to the girl’s interests, all the better.

Amelia Earhart

Helen Keller

Anne Frank

J.K. Rowling

Research Organizations Promoting Girls and Women and make a donation or, better yet, sign up to volunteer.  Whether you’re designing pamphlets or helping organize events. There are so many awesome organizations out there, it will be hard to choose.

Take some time Reach Out to Important Women in Your Lives.  Think about some of the women who have had a great impact in your lives. Whether it’s your mom/ grandmother, significant other, best friend, or teacher, reach out with a card or phone call.  If you have time, drop by with flowers or a small gift.

Celebrate each other. Go out for lunch, browse the local library or just spend the day just being girls.