As a mom of a young daughter, it’s really important for me to make sure I help her to build her self-esteem. I’ve suffered from self-esteem issues in my own life. I was teased and bullied as a child up to my late teens, both at school, hebrew school, and at home by my father. And I let another relative make me feel like I was nothing. While I don’t want to be too dramatic; I vowed that I would not let my own children feel that way. I worry about my daughter more than my sons, because she is more sensitive. They really don’t care what others think about them, but my daughter cares too much. And she’s exactly like me. She’s almost 9 and such a sunny, bright child. She loves fiercely and is excited about everything. Her brothers are crazy about her and so are her dad and I. I want to make sure she feels supported and valued. So when Dove asked me to partner with them, I was proud to support their initiative of building self-esteem in 20 million girls by 2020. It’s really easy to support this, especially if you’re a BJ’s Wholesale Club shopper like I am.
This is scary — 52% of girls feel that the negative posts, comments, snaps, videos or photos they see on social media damage their confidence* . While my daughter only sees what I post on my Instagram account, one day she will have her own accounts. And I don’t want social media to damage her confidence. We recently got her older brother an instagram account and I monitor what he does. When it’s time for her to have a smart phone, I will be monitoring what she’s doing and who’s speaking to her (including comments on her social media posts).
How We Help Our Daughter Raise Her Self-Esteem:
I want my daughter to feel as confident in her own skin. I try to tell her she is beautiful and smart — and that she should love herself. She got glasses when she was almost 5 years old and luckily she hasn’t been teased about them. I remember kids teasing me about my glasses (I got them at 8 years old) and I am happy she hasn’t had to deal with that. We teach her to be kind to other children and to make sure that she’s never the bully. Since she’s such a sweetheart, we don’t have to worry that she is.
How do we try to encourage her? By supporting things she enjoys like fashion design. My daughter wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. We buy her books about fashion and read them to hear (it’s adorable when my husband reads about Dior to her), we make sure she has sketch pads and gel pencils, my mother has taught her some basics of sewing (she’s going to teach her how to make a skirt) and we also try let her express herself with her clothes. She put this look together herself, with her late great grandmother’s faux pearls, a maxi skirt, two tank tops, and a scarf my husband got in Chinatown in San Francisco.
Shop at BJ’s Wholesale Club to Buy Dove Products to Support Self-Esteem in Girls
Here’s a really simple way to support Dove’s Self-Esteem Initiative. Pick up Dove Products at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Dove Deodorant Cool Essentials 3 pack
This antiperspirant deodorant delivers up to 48-hour protection, underarm care and a refreshing cucumber and green tea scent. I’ve been using Dove deodorant for years – it’s the only one that keeps me dry.
Dove 3 Pack (24 oz. Each) Deep Moisture Body Wash
Enjoy softer, smoother skin after just one shower with this moisturizing body wash that leaves skin feeling cared for.
Dove Cool Moisture Bar 16 Count
Enjoy soft, more radiant looking skin vs. ordinary soap and revitalize your senses with the refreshing scent of cucumber and green tea.
I also really like this, in this BJ’s exclusive video, it encourages club members to learn how they can speak positively in their local communities through the Dove Self-Esteem platform. In the video, BJ’s employees share their thoughts on self-esteem, beauty, and body confidence. They reflect on the ways their current job responsibilities have helped boost their self-esteem, while also commenting on the ways they will instill the values of beauty and confidence in their own children.
Shop BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Check out BJ’s exclusive video, which encourages club members to learn how they can speak positively in their local communities through the Dove Self-Esteem platform. In the video, BJ’s employees share their thoughts on self-esteem, beauty, and body confidence. They reflect on the ways their current job responsibilities have helped boost their self-esteem, while also commenting on the ways they will instill the values of beauty and confidence in their own children. You can find the rest of the video journals here: http://lbx.la/apnA
Post sponsored by Mirum Shopper. Opinions are 100% my own.
There is so much negativity out there, it’s really quite ridiculous. I don’t look forward to the day when my kids start seeing it all, but at least someone out there is trying to make things better.
This is such a tough issue with kids. My daughter is starting to use deodorant and that is a big issue – I want her to be confident that she doesn’t smell, I don’t want her to be subjected to kids tormenting her about that. Kids definitely need our support in helping raise their self esteem.
Dove really do have some wonderful initiatives and I’m so pleased to read about this one! It is incredibly important to raise our daughters (and sons!) to have good self-esteem. Thank you for sharing your experience, and this Dove initiative as well!
We have two girls and are also struggling with helping them cope with self esteem. Middle school can be so rough!
As a man, I had no idea the severity of this issue. Maybe because I am gay, but I do not understand how anyone treats two human beings differently for any reasons.
This is so important and as my girls get older, I am always looking for ways to keep my girls in check! As the tween years approach, this gets even harder!