People talk as if raising girls is some kind of riddle carved in stone. They turn it into charts and rules and theories you need a college degree
Photo by Katerina Holmes
People talk as if raising girls is some kind of riddle carved in stone. They turn it into charts and rules and theories you need a college degree just to pronounce. But lend me your ear please: loving a girl does not require magic or mystery.
It’s simple.
You treat her with gentleness, even when she’s loud.
You give her patience, even when she’s learning.
You offer guidance, not orders.
You make her feel safe, not watched.
A girl is not a problem to solve — she’s a soul to protect.
Girls flourish when the grown folks around them stop worrying about how they look and start caring about how she feels. When adults let go of pride, let go of trying to be right all the time, let go of needing to control every breath she takes — Lord, you will see something beautiful.
Her shoulders loosen.
Her laugh comes easier.
Her dreams get bigger.
That’s when a girl blooms.
The trouble isn’t that loving girls is difficult. The trouble is that too many adults love their own ego more than they love the child standing in front of them. And ego is a hungry beast — it will swallow a child’s joy, her voice, and her sense of self if you let it.
But love? Love is steady. Love is humble. Love pays attention. Love makes room for her to grow taller than you, wiser than you, freer than you ever were.
All that foolishness out in the world — the harm, the control, the hush-your-mouth and don’t-be-so-much — that’s what’s complicated. That’s what breaks girls. Not love.
If we want our villages strong again, if we want our children to carry light instead of wounds, then start here:
Protect the girls.
Believe the girls.
Let them take up space without apology.
Because when you care for a girl properly, she doesn’t just grow — she lifts the whole village with her.
@truthbegold60 Still celebrating my birthday! What a joy to have this little treasure by my side. Truth is I don’t know who is happier me or her.😊 #birthday #happiness #thankful #blessed #jamaicatiktok ♬ original sound – TruthbeGold