Seven not-so-secret secrets for parenting girls

Dr. Janet Rose Wojtalik has seven powerful "secrets" to share about parenting girls -- secrets that will help today's moms and dads create the strong, independent, amazing women of the future.

One of three children born to working-class parents, Wojtalik says she herself struggled to break free from negative, gender-biased parental and societal messages, and the fear of failure, to eventually earn a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

I stumbled upon Wojtalik's site and downloaded her free (gotta love free stuff that's great!), e-book The Seven Secrets of Parenting Girls. As I read through the short, simple book, I wished my parents had had the benefit of Wojtalik's sage advice.

Her seven secrets just make huge sense to me. And I think that parenting young girls in the way she suggests will help people raise healthier, happier daughters who will be better equipped to lead successful lives.

Here's a brief synopsis of what she says:

Secret #1: Brand Early
Children are what we say they are. Begin now to take every opportunity to inform your daughter of her strengths. She will view herself as you view her. Send messages of self-confidence and heartiness.

Secret #2: Promote Independence
Encourage your daughter to do for herself and to try new challenges. Continue to send messages of strength. She will grow to learn that she is capable of doing anything.

Secret #3: Promote Thinking
Parents have a responsibility to teach their daughters to think. Ask them questions. By questioning, praising, and probing you will help your daughter sharpen her ideas, refine her thinking, learn to express her opinions, value her intelligence and achieve more.

Secret #4: Promote Learning
No matter what a girl's age it's important to encourage her to learn. Read together about important things. Read about active, hearty females. Read about women inventors, artists, and writers. Read about women in leadership. Read about some great women role models here and here.

Secret #5: Promote Education
Do not allow your daughter the opportunity not to choose education. Frame your conversations with her about her future with expectations of higher education. Teach early that college follows high school. Enough said.

Secret #6: Promote Open Career Options
Show your daughter that females can and do select careers in all fields. Point this out whenever you can. Let your daughter know that she can choose what she wants to do. Encourage math and science fields. Read about women in these fields.

Secret #7: Promote Awareness
Help your daughter become aware of gender bias. Girls need to recognize it in order to respond to it.

Read more in the e-book and in Wojtalik's emails which you can also sign up for when you download the e-book here. The follow-up emails expand on the seven secrets with useful ideas and information (and no, I'm not getting paid to say all this, I just think what she says makes so much sense...).

Click here to read more about Dr. Wojtalik on amazingwomenrock.com.