Sunday, March 14, 2010

Just as long as she doesn't look up to a racist, bombmaker that kicks dogs



This is my youngest brat. My only daughter. Of course, my oldest is my only son but... You know what I mean. She's only two but I'm already wondering who it is she will look up to as she gets older. I want her to have strong female influences as well as male. FGor this post I'm gonna focus on the female side.

I work at a bookstore and have read TWILIGHT. Bella, the leading lady, is sort of the OPPOSITE of what I'm lookin' for for Claudia. Now there is another series of books by Rosemary Clement-Moore whose lead, Maggie O'Quinn, is a good fit. She's quirky and independent. A little insecure and way sarcastic. She is sort of what I see my little 'angel' becoming. Maybe without the psychic visions and such but still.

I'm also fortunate to have a good base of girl friends. I have friends are stay-at-home moms who home school, friends that are students, friends that work in just about every imaginable field: artists, zoo keepers, teachers, nurses, cashiers, managers, administrative assistants, small business owners, race car drivers, writers, photographers, actors, directors, professors, costumers, etc. I have friends who are Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist. I have friends who are soft-spoken and those that don't let you get a word in edge-wise. Maybe she'll latch on to one of them as a role model.

Then there's my mom. She's MY role model. She works, has been married for 40 years to the same man, raised five kids... None of whom have done any prison time to my knowledge... She speaks her mind but knows when to keep her cool. She is my 'go to' person for EVERYTHING. Claudia could do worse than her grandma as a role model.

Truthfully there aren't a lot of celebrities that I would like her to obsess over and want to emulate. Katie Couric maybe, she seems harmless enough. I think Neicey Nash seems pretty cool too. Katherine Hepburn's not a bad choice but unless Claudia gets scripted by the writers for Gilmore Girls I don't see that happening. Of course there's always Eleanor Roosevelt, Sacagewea, Mother Theresa (She's always a big hit with the kids). I'm not really into sports so I don't know a lot about female athletes... There are the likes of Diane Arbus, Annie Leibowitz, Frida Kahlo but I think they'd be better looked at for their art and not necessarily their personal lives.

I'm fairly certain that there will come a time when she's not gonna care what I think are good choices for her but I will try to get into that little head of hers as much as I can now. I may have some luck. My five-year-old son has informed me that he's 'a big fan of Lincoln's. Oh, and Barrack Obama'. Neither of those are bad choices. He could idolize Darth Vader or something.
I guess for now I'll just be happy that she is a big fan of Yo Gabba Gabba and ICarly and KNOWS that, no matter what anyone says, she can do whatever the big kids can do.

7 comments:

Lauren S said...

Love this post, Cheryl! I think if you can instill in her a healthy skepticism of what is "popular" or "status quo" you'll be setting her up for success. Help her keep that 2-year-old's amazing gift for asking "why?" into her adulthood, and I'm willing to bet she'll be writing a similar blog for her daughter and listing you as her role model :)

Cheryl said...

OK Lauren, who told you she was an asker of 'why'? ;)

dusty earth mother said...

It's so cool that you thought of literary characters and others for her to be like. But what about... (drum roll, please)... YOU? What if she turned out just like you? Would that make you happy?

Christina said...

What a great post, Cheryl!! Knowing you, I have no doubt that Claudia will grow up to be a little spitfire who knows what she wants and is loved by all for her humor and compassion. And I agree that while Twilight made for good reading, Bella is the antithesis of what I want for my daughter.

Cheryl said...

Over from Sits..Glad you don't want your daughter to be like Bella - me neither! And the hugest compliment any mom could ever get is being her daughter's positive role model. But knowing my daughter, SHE'D pick Darth Vader!

~dawn said...

Thanks for stopping by my site...

Returning the favor for a SITSta!

I have 3 girls... the oldest is very timid and girl next-door like.
The 2nd is very brainy and naive.
The 3rd is a mover and a shaker, the popular girl with all the friends and copy-cats. Luckily, she is a nice kid ( most of the time) and has a sense of self that lets her dress and wear her hair in her own style no matter what the current trend.
She's the only non-adult girl, but she's growing up fast. My only wish is that she use her powers for good, not evil!

Anonymous said...

Oh I know how you feel about wanting a positive female role model for your dear daughter. Might I recommend the Percy Jackson series? The female character that is Percy's friend is very strong and independent while still feminine. Hermione in the Harry Potter series is also a good one.

I also suggest giving this blog a check:
http://hipwritermama.blogspot.com/2007/01/cool-strong-girl-role-models-in.html