I’m a woman. Hear me rawr. Right? I mean, we’re tough, we women. We’ve got to be. The world isn’t always kind to us, the obstinant curves (or not) of our bodies, the unruliness (or not) of our thinking. The way that even bringing forth a new life, which our bodies were built to do (or not) takes every single ounce of strength within us. It is important to be strong as a woman in this world.

My daughter is strong. At two, she’s already got a strength that I cannot quantify. Sometimes this takes shape in the form of sass, or defiance. But most of the time, this reveals itself in her quiet persistence. Her insistence to do things her way. Her worry about others, and her defense of her brother. She is like a mighty ant, carrying 100 times the weight of her own tiny frame. You can’t stop Funk. Your only hope is to contain her. She is phenomenally strong, in spirit, mind, and body.

She’s going to need that.

Soon it will be time for school. Her clothes won’t be right. Her hair, which she refuses to have styled in any fashion, will be laughed at. She won’t care who she’s supposed to be friends with, because Funk doesn’t really care what you think. And that will bring more teasing. There will be catty girls, and romantic entanglements, and teachers who just want her to sit down and shut the hell up. There will be fights with her parents, each party standing at opposite ends of a long hallway, not really seeing each other but yelling just the same. There will be older people who laugh at her aspirations, perhaps not feminine enough, and judge her for being too boyish. Even with a poodle perm and a pair of D cups, her mother heard the samething, about being “too much like a boy.” She’ll get a job someday, where she refuses to bend to the hierarchy, and isn’t afaid to say what she thinks. She’ll challenge the system. She will be the willow. She will bend, and not break. And people will accuse her of being insubordinate, intimidating, and harsh.

And what they really mean is that she’s “too strong.” That strength, which would be revered and respected in her brother, will be seen as her being a “bitch” someday.

I don’t want her to ever fear being too strong. There is no such thing. Because the world can be very hard, and you need strength to keep going. This is not to be confused with growing hard to the world. You can be strong, and not grow hard. I think that Funk will really excel at this. While I wish strength for both of my children, I know that Funk already has it. It does not need to be built by us, only guided.

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This entry is for a Blog Blast. They’re collaborating with the Strengths Movement and author Jenifer Fox, hoping to spread the word about her new book and this exciting educational movement that focuses on the various strengths your children posess rather than their limitations. I hope you’ll consider bragging about your own kids today (damn, it felt good), and perhaps win some of the fantastic prizes we’re offering.

It’s also the last day to enter an amazing giveaway from Julian & Co. Someone needs to win and by golly, why shouldn’t it be you?