Woman Power!

WOMAN POWER! That was our daily chant for my girls and I when they were little. Sitting around the table, arms raised in exuberant abandon, we would release the words at the top of our lungs - much to the chagrin of my (then) husband. I know it may seem sexist and ex-clusive, but it was my way of making my little women feel powerful and strong - that they had everything they needed already deep inside them; that they had powers they could summon at a moment's notice. Funny enough, this was pre-Spice Girls' "girl power" era.

This is not to say that I don't think boys/men have power and strength; just look around, pick up a paper; proof of male power is everywhere: world leaders; presidents and CEOs of companies; news anchors; police officers; etc.  Sometimes girls have to look a little harder to find tangible evidence of the feminine variety.

My girls are strong, self sufficient, opinionated and appear confident. They are socially conscious and understand the value of family. And since the baby of the family, Kidlet, returned to university this year, I couldn't help but notice a shift in her demeanor, and I had to tell her so...

You are learning how to tap into your personal power --- or as I like to call it -- Woman Power! Of course that isn't fair, cause men have power too. It's just that somehow I think they are raised more to expect it; it is modelled more prominently for them to claim. Sometimes women need a little more coaching to see what has always been with them; to claim it. But honestly, when I think of how busy life used to be and what used to get accomplished in a day when we were raising a family, working overtime, keeping a semblance of order at home, and nurturing sick family - I used to feel like I had magical powers that I could summon to get me through. And I did. And we all have them. Just remember that.

When you were little and asked for a magic suit for Christmas and I resurrected my sewing machine to make you one, the first thing you did was put on the white sparkly gloves - and then come to tell me that they didn't work! I told you that the magic was in you - not the gloves.

Always remember that.