As a mom of two girls, I hear a lot of talk on the playground about who the mean girls are and who is bossy. I’ve even used the word to describe my daughters at times — then I changed it up and said they were using a “bossy voice.” But I am learning every day on this journey called parenthood, and I won’t be using that word anymore. You see, boys are never described as bossy. They show leadership skills when they do it, but girls get a different stigma. That needs to change, and there are three women leading that charge with a public service campaign. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, Condoleeza Rice, former secretary of state and Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of the Girl Scouts of America are coming together to get a message out that girls should use their executive leadership skills. They want to ban bossy.
Females make up 50% of the population and less than 5% of women are in positions of power. WHY?
It all goes back to the playground in elementary school.
Even as adults who work and volunteer in the school, the same message is getting through. The majority of volunteers are women. That doesn’t mean there aren’t men who are involved. My own husband was PTA President for two years. The stigma that goes with leadership positions are negative. We all know it’s a thankless job, and while people may gripe and not like whoever is in charge, the nasty comments feel especially harsh for the women. Women are spending so much time tearing each other down instead of building each other up and our children are watching — and listening — and following suit.
The time is now, and we need to change it so it gets better for our kids.
Support your kids in every way. Encourage them to run for student council, speak up for things they believe in and take a stand. Give them the confidence they need to be successful. Be the role model for them so they see how important it is. Slowly, but surely, we can chip away at those awful B words, and turn it into something brilliant, powerful and strong for our daughters!
Now I want you to do a couple of things for me. (1) Share with me in the comments (and don’t forget to post it to Facebook too) what you think of the ban bossy campaign. (2) Sign up for my mailing list to get cool stuff about fundraising for your school (we don’t share information and we hate spam as much as you do), and (3) Send this blog post to someone you know who would be interested!
Sending you strong and positive vibes!
Sarah
Sarah is a native Los Angeleno with the heart of a Chicagoan. She loves A Cappella music, cooking, and swing dancing. When she’s not helping raise money for schools, sports teams and clubs, she is hanging out with and loving life with her husband and girls. For more information about what she does professionally, check outwww.amomsguidetoschoolfundraising.com