Raising Girls Series

In our third week of our Raising Girls series, Dr Bruce Robinson explains a father’s role in raising a confident daughter. The words you use and how you treat her has a profound impact on whether she’ll grow into a confident woman. It’s suggested that the confidence a woman has as an adult is most influenced by the relationship she had with her dad.

We can build or break confidence in our daughters. Sometimes, without noticing and with the best intentions, we can slowly start to wear away at her confidence if we aren’t careful. We need to ensure we remain self-aware through words and actions so we help to raise confident girls. 

Tips to build your daughter’s confidence

• Ask your daughter for advice. Ask for her thoughts and opinions. Never put her ideas down.
• Encourage the skills she’s good at. Never push things you want her to do onto her. Let her make her own decisions and choices and encourage them.
• Set some realistic goals. Don’t push too hard but don’t step back and do nothing. This helps your daughter to work towards goals and take calculated risks. In doing so, this improves her confidence and makes her realise she can achieve things she puts her mind to!
• Encourage her into leadership. She has the capability of being a leader and because you believe she can do it, helps to build her confidence.