9 Ways To Bulletproof Your Daughter Against Domestic Violence

Like everyone else, I was so shocked and disgusted when I heard the story (AND saw the footage) of what Rutgers alum Ray Rice did to his fiance in Atlantic City.  I feel in large part domestic abuse in this country has been downplayed in way too many instances.  If anything good can come from this, I hope it brings more attention, awareness, and action to reduce domestic dispute as a whole.  Here’s a nice article I came across on Forbes…

9 Ways To Bulletproof Your Daughter Against Domestic Violence

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On the heels of Oscar Pistorius and Ray Rice, I sought advice from top experts on how we can raise daughters who are immune to the hands of violent men.

Far from victim blaming, we are talking about early prevention. High self-esteem increases a girl’s likelihood of finding healthy relationships and should she get involved with a violent man, be more equipped to leave him.

Here are recommendations from nine experts on how to raise daughters who are resilient and strong:

1. Be the model you want your daughter to copy. If you want her to be assertive, she needs to see you stand up for your views even if they may be unpopular. Let your daughter know you value people who speak their mind. Reinforce her assertiveness with ‘I like how you spoke up!’ and let her know you honor her opinions.

Dr. Michele Borba, educator and bestselling author

2. It’s critical to teach our children to question the stereotypes put forth by media and pop culture. Encourage them not to accept sexism and gratuitous violence as the norm. Teach them to question the toxic narrative that tells boys it’s not OK to have emotions or be sensitive, and tells girls they should value their youth, beauty, and sexuality over anything else.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, CEO/Founder of The Representation Project and filmmaker, Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In

3. Role model healthy relationships at home. It’s important for girls to see what a fair and respectful relationship looks like. Teach girls what it looks like to disagree or have conflict in a healthy way.  Helping girls learn how to draw boundaries of what is safe and comfortable to them and how to communicate their wants and feelings is critically important.

Esta Soler, President of Futures Without Violence

4. I almost never tell my children that their worth comes from their attractiveness. Trying hard, good grades, grit and politeness get all the attention and validation in our house. Not “you are so cute.” From the very earliest days, I reinforced to my twin daughters that their body belongs to them. When they ask me to stop tickling or roughhousing, I jump back almost dramatically, and they — usually with a sly smile — will quote back to me, “It’s MY body!”

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