Raising Empowered & Ambitious Girls - #Barbie Project

So a few weeks ago, my youngest daughter, Kennedy, came home and announced that she was running for a position on her 5th grade Student Council.  She decided to run for Student Council Secretary. Of course me being Mrs. 'Empowerment' Mom, I asked why she didn't run for President or Vice President. Any daughter of mine should be President..right? She explained to me that she was VERY busy with her school schedule, homework and rehearsal four days a week for her lead part in her school play. With so many things going on she didn't want to take on too much, she wanted to be able to manager everything.  My daughters hear me talk all the time about how important it is to not take on too much, especially as a mom and to create some sense of balance in our everyday lives. I was telling this story to a friend of mine and she said, "You know she is talking just like you, right?"  I didn't even realize the correlation when she initially gave me her answer until my friend pointed it out. As moms and parents we truly do have a huge impact on our children, they are listening and watching what we do all the time. Wow!

Kennedy made it past the primary election and was on the official ballot. She focused her attention on her signs that she could place around the school.  She gathered her supplies and once again pulled out Barbie and friends to help with her campaign.

Barbie & Nikki - Official "Team Kennedy" Campaign Members 

 

Kennedy was super excited to kick off her "Vote Kennedy for Student Council Secretary" campaign.  She was ready to chant "Take Note....Vote For Kennedy!!!" in the school hallways and shake lots of hands..too cute! After her campaign week, she finalized her speech that she would deliver to an auditorium full of fourth and fifth grade students. She practiced in front of the family and with Barbie, I'm sure she was probably less nervous in front of her dear Barbie friends!  She gave a great speech but said she was super nervous and messed up on some parts. 

 



 



As a girl and teen I never had the drive to go for things like this,  I was very shy and insecure. I was afraid of failure.  Both of my daughters are self motivated to try different things and are so fearless. I am amazed at the things that they go after and their confidence.  I try to instill in them that they can do anything, and it is okay to try things and fail.  I also expose them to fearless women and girl role models, through the work that I do in my community and with my non-profit.  Earlier this week I had my daughters watch this new mini documentary about Mo'Ne Davis a 13 year old girl baseball pitcher that is defying all the odds and creating a new meaning to "Throw Like A Girl" with her 70 mile per hour fastball..whohoo!

Mo'Ne Davis (Image Credit: Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated)

I also love that brands like Barbie are using their platform to show girls that anything is possible, like with President Barbie and their new Entrepreneur Barbie. It is important that our girls see women and girls in leadership roles! Kennedy aka Future President of The United States of America has a nice ring to it!

Kennedy's President Barbie, Love Her Platform!

 

After all of Kennedy's hard work she ended up not winning her school election.  I was so nervous for her as a mom and hoped that she would win.  When she got the news she was initially disappointed and a little sad, but she told us that she knew that she was super busy and that maybe this was a good thing as she could stay focused more on school and the other activities going on in her life. This great attitude from a 10 year old! We told her how proud we were of her along the way and that whatever the outcome was at least she tried and it was a great experience that would prepare her for many great things to come.   I am truly a proud mommy to have such amazing daughters!

How do you instill confidence and ambition in your sons or daughters? Do you have children that grew up like I did, with a lack of self confidence and are afraid to try new things? We would love to hear your thoughts and stories as it is not easy raising empowered girls and boys!  Be sure to share your experiences and comments below or on the official Barbie Project website!

Continue to follow our journey on this project and support our mission to empower women and girls by following us on our website, Facebook, Twitter!

 

 

This is part of a group of posts in partnership with #BarbieProject .

All words and images are 100% organic and authentic.



Entrepreneur Barbie - #Barbie Project

Last week the Barbie Project Moms were invited to visit the Barbie Design Center in Los Angeles and meet the Barbie Team! OMG it was amazing!! We got a special behind the scenes tour of their facility and received the latest updates on our project and the new initiatives that they were launching.  I was especially thrilled to learn more about the newest campaign centered around Barbie's 150th Career: Entrepreneur Barbie!! As an mom that is building her dreams this career has a special place in my heart!

"This year Barbie is once again breaking through plastic ceilings and inspiring girls to follow their dreams. The 2014 career of the year doll is Entrepreneur Barbie. To celebrate her newest career, Barbie is honoring special women entrepreneurs to help start a conversation for girls everywhere, reminding them that — “If they can dream it, they can be it – anything is possible!"

I really love how Barbie is involving real women and girl entrepreneurs from amazing organizations like Girls Who Code, Plum Alley,  Rent The Runway, The Tom Kat Studio, Sugarfina, Genuine Insights, and One Kings Lane.  They even feature a young entrepreneur, Seraphina Botero, a Cadette Girl Scout from Santa Monica, California.  She recently won an Entrepreneur essay-writing contest for her local Council. She’s been with the organization for eight years and has been part of its Cookie Season every year.  Never too young to blaze a trail!  The amazing leaders are Chief Inspiration Officers aka CIO's who share their stories about building their careers and running their businesses! They even take Barbie with them to work!  Barbie's website also features online resources to help girls learn what it means to be an entrepreneur (click here for downloadable resources for your daughter), how to start a business and inspiration for moms like me who own their own businesses. Visit http://www.barbie.com/en-us/news-and-deals/barbie-celebrates-women-entrepreneurs to learn more about these amazing entrepreneurs!

At the end of the day we received a gift bag with our very own Entrepreneur Barbie inside.  I was so excited!! I heard about this doll earlier in the year and could not wait until they would be released to the public. You can order them online here!



 



 

So Love The Cute Accessories, Briefcase, Tablet, Smartphone!!

 

My plan was to keep her all to myself but my daughter had other plans! It was like a tug of war for her when I returned home, I definitely have to buy my own now that they are available.  I opened her up and only had about 2.5 seconds to check her out before she was snatched from my hands and whisked upstairs to my daughter's room.  I checked in with my daughter later that day and asked what business she had started.

Love The Message On The Back Of The Box!

My daughter was super excited to announce to me the launch of  "Kennedy's Space Boot Camp".  Entrepreneur Barbie owned her own business where she taught astronauts how to go to space.  Super cute! 

Entrepreneur Barbie's First Student!

Her first training class was in session. Her students were involved in rigorous training where they had to take test to see how much they knew about space.  If they passed the first test they would move on to the next level of training.  They had to go into a space simulator to see what it was like to be in space, this involved a lot of spinning and twirling. She used the Barbie jet plane from my previous post for this exercise.  A special light was shined on the students to simulate the extreme heat they would face from the sun.

Entrepreneur Barbie demonstrating how to  properly wear her space helmet for her students.

 

 

Math is important to astronauts according to Kennedy! Entrepreneur Barbie

explaining word problems. So love her imagination!

 

 



My daughter then flipped off the lights and used the cord from her headphones to put her student into space. So cool to see her doll suspended in the air. She wanted to turn on the fan, but Mommy had to step in and shut that down very quickly! Did not want Barbie and her cord getting tangled in the fan or flying through a window!

 

 



 

 

 So after passing many difficult levels, her student had finally passed all the requirements and she was cleared to go to space! 

 



Official handshake to seal the deal!!

 

I really loved seeing my daughter's ideas for her very own business. Her concept actually really blew me away.  I know there are a lot of negative opinions out there about Barbie, her proportions and her choices of clothing make parents feel that she is a bad influence.  I was one of those parents who was quick to jump on the Barbie bashing train. Throughout this project my opionions have changed as I watched what really happens during her playtime.  Seeing my daughter's initial idea to create a business around science/space I realize that it is not just about the doll or how the doll looks it is about what we are modeling, teaching and exposing them to that really matters. I go out of my way to show my daughters that girls can do anything that they put their minds to. They can be wear pink business suits and work for NASA! I saw an ad this evening that really resonated with me about our idea of what it means to be a girl in our society and that it is not just about wearing pink or being a girl.

 



 

 

My daughter proved that tonight to me. I am so excited that there are toys like this that are being offered that allow our children to explore and imagine in new ways!

 

I am curious to know what dream or businesses your daughters or sons have imagined or created! Be sure to leave a comment on our blog, social networks (facebook, twitter) or on the www.barbieproject.com website!