She's not bossy!!

A few times I've made comments that I think Mia could be a bossy little girl as she gets a little bigger. A work colleague last night reminded me that we shouldn't refer to girls as bossy, boys are never referred to as bossy so why do we say girls are bossy? Also is there actually anything wrong with being bossy? We only think there is because of the use of the word! If we say someone in assertive then that's a positive trait, if we refer to someone as being a leader then we generally view them to be a positive role model. 

Why do we see traits that are positive for males as being negative for females? I recall starting a new job in my mid twenties and when being introduced to people I always gave a firm handshake, it was something my dad had taught me, never give a weak handshake.  Yet the following day I heard comments about how my handshake was very firm 'for a female'. In a workplace where men and women should be perceived to be equals then why is that we still make comments like that.  No one would ever make a comment about a male's handshake being too firm.

But it's not just in the work place that we make comments like that, and we are all guilty of it, males and females. If a girl is good at sport too often we say 'she's really good for a girl'. Why do we continue to say these things, why don't we just say 'she's awesome' no one ever says 'he's really good for a boy'.

I want to make sure that I am a positive role model for my little girl as she grows up, I hope that I can raise a strong woman who is successful in life, no matter what she chooses to do.  But I need to make sure that I'm positive in both my actions as well as my words.  So from now on I will never refer to my strong willed little girl as bossy.  She is a leader, independent, persistent and assertive.  These are all amazing traits for anyone to have, male or female.  I will encourage her every single day to be true to herself and do whatever she enjoys doing.  I will teach her to always believe in herself, to never doubt her abilities.  

So next time you see a little girl running around the playground in a tutu and gumboots being 'bossy' instead think of her as being a 'leader' you never know, she could grow up to be the Prime Minister of Our country, the CEO of a big company or the lead drummer in a successful band.