Читать книгу Raising Girls: Why girls are different – and how to help them grow up happy and confident - Gisela Preuschoff - Страница 25

I repeat, children need role models, people who set an example for them. How do you speak about others? Is your boss ‘an idiot’, your neighbour ‘a jerk’, the driver in front of you ‘a moron’?

Observe yourself and be honest with yourself and your children, and that’s how they will be.

A person who honestly expresses an opinion and stands up for their personal truth will always be respected.

A role model in action

Once, before my husband and I had children, a friend visited us unannounced, with his daughter, Anne. This was in the 1970s, before punks. Anne was wearing a shredded, ‘graffitied’ pair of jeans and a provocative top, and had brightly dyed hair – and probably a dog-collar as well, I don’t really remember. Her father treated her with dignity and respect throughout the visit, though I knew that her appearance was not something he much liked. I admired him tremendously for this. Without saying anything, he clearly showed us all what tolerance is.