Ascending: rising or increasing to higher levels, values, or degrees
Butterflies: The change from caterpillar though to the chrysalis and emergence as a butterfly is the greatest change in the animal world. It symbolises significant change in the course of one’s life, personality or way of thinking.
Putting them together brings us on an upwards journey of change and transformation, isn't that what we all strive for?
Spring is one of my favorite seasons for so many reasons! Spring represents renewal, re-birth, potential and you can sort of smell it in the air before it arrives. There are birds chirping outside the window, the clocks have sprung ahead and I am days away from my birthday. Since this week has been all about travel, I thought I'd continue on that theme today, some of you have probably already started the advent of your Spring travel by visiting with family today for Easter.
Planning for a road trip doesn't have to be daunting! But before you go down your checklist, you need to make sure the basics are in place and safety is of primary importance! Spring is the perfect time to have your car inspected, check the shocks, breaks and make sure your car is in shape first. You also need to account for the safety of your little ones and making sure you not only have a carseat, but that it is properly installed is crucial!
FRONTIER 90 Combination Harness-2-Booster Seat by BRITAX - offers leading Head Safety Technologies!
In case you missed it, we featured the newest carseats from BRITAX, the FRONTIER™ 90 and PINNACLE™ 90and at the press event to announce the launch in New York City, they had vehicles on hand so we all could take a turn at installing the new carseats. I was surprised at just how simple, fast and easy the installation was, but was ven more impressed with seriously BRITAX takes child/infant safety. Getting a safe carseat installed and having your car inspected to check for it's readiness for a long road trip is a mission critical starting point, once that's in place you can then go down your checklist before letting that rubber hit the road.
PINNACLE 90 Combination Harness-2-Booster Seat by BRITAX - The Side Impact Cushion Technology makes this a winner!
Getting your vehicle inspected and making sure your carseat is properly installed is half the battle won for your Spring Road Trips!
Road Trip Travel Checklist:
(1) Get your car inspected - a well planned road trip is to no avail if your vehicle is not up for the task!
(2) Make sure your carseats are properly installed - I can tell you that with the new BRITAX Frontier 90 (Combination Harness-2 Booster Seat) and Pinnacle 90 (Combination Harness-2 Booster Seat), installation is a breeze!
(3) GPS - You definitely don't want to get lost so you can go old school with actual Maps or hi tech with a GPS, but you definitely want to make sure you know where you are going and how to get there. (Just remember to allow yourself some room for last minute add-ons to your itinerary, remember butterflies it's about the journey, not just the destination!)
(4) Music - I wouldn't be 'The Official #TwitterPartyDJ' if my mind weren't always on Music and Tunes! The best parts of our lives can usually be accompanied by a song that instantly transports you back to that time. Make a road trip playlist that includes a little bit of something for everyone! And I personally also suggest letting everyone have their own portable players, so everyone has the chance to just zone out with their personal favorites for a little while.
(5) Camera - Chronicle your journey in pictures, the more candid and the more goofy, the better, but don't spend so much time behind the lens that you forget to enjoy yourself, and don't forget to ask someone to take a group photo, especially if you are usually the one to take all the pictures, because then you'll get home and find that you are not in any of the pictures!
(6) Cell Phone - For emergency use only! NOT for keeping up with work, enjoy your journey! But bringing one along in case of emergency is always a smart idea.
(7) Emergency Kit/First Aid Kit - You want to make sure you carry gauze, bandages, antibiotic cream, allergy and sinus medication, and all over the counter and prescription medications that all family members take. Be sure you have water, blankets, flashlight (there are flashlight apps for the ipod/ipad/iphone by the way), batteries, canned food, road flares, spare tire and a car jack!
(8) Budget - Plan for all your gas stops along the way, hotel expenses, entrance fees to parks, and bring along a Credit Card for emergencies!
(9) Clothing - Bring extra layers in anticipation of cooler nights!
(10) Footwear - Bring comfortable footwear, and bring all terrain or sport or hiking boots if mountains are part of your road trip journey!
Butterflies, where will the road take YOU this Spring?
FTC Disclosure: The BritaxHispanic Digital and Social Media Outreach is in partnership with Mami Innovative Media, a communications and digital marketing company that pairs multicultural and Latino bloggers with influential brands and blogging campaigns. I am a blogger brand ambassador and Latina Advisory Board Member for Britax. This is a sponsored post and I am part of a long term campaign that does provide additional incentives for my participation. However all opinions are 100% my own. You can connect with BRITAXonTwitterandFacebook. Our Disclosure Policy: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html
It is always so hard to keep great secrets from my butterflies, so I am glad that I can finally share about a fun event I attended last Wednesday (March 20th) where BRITAX launched the New FRONTIER™90 and PINNACLE™90 combination carseats with ClickTight Installation System!
I'm not yet a mom but I'm an Aunt and Godmother and while I love my nieces, nephews and godchildren I have always left installs and assembly to the parents when it comes to cribs, furniture, carseats and the like, in fact I have never installed a carseat myself, until last week that is!
CLICK!
That’s the new sound of a secure installation.
That’s the sound of a parent’s peace of mind. That’s the sound of
BRITAX’s new ClickTight technology car seat installation.
New BRITAX FRONTIER™90 and PINNACLE™90 combination seats feature the ClickTight Installation
System that allows parents to achieve a safe and secure installation every
time. With just three simple steps, ClickTight allows parents to easily install
the new seats with the vehicle seat belt and eliminates the frustration of
putting their weight in the seat or getting into the vehicle to install the car
seat.
Are you currently using the LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) to secure the car seat? Were you aware that all vehicles have lower anchor weight limits? When your child's weight exceeds the weight limit, car seats should no longer be installed using the lower anchors! Instead, the car seat must be installed using the vehicle seat belt system, and the new BRITAX ClickTight installation system allows parents to do just that!
We got the chance to see a video about the new technology that was super cute that I wanted to share with you so you could get a sneak peek as well before these officially hit stores:
Isn't she adorable? The talking car seat featured in the video was at the launch event too! Here is the event in pictures:
Above: Signage that was a sneak peek of what was to come!
Above: When you ask bloggers to attend a super early event, smoothies are a great way to start!
Above: Gotta have eats!
Once we grabbed our smoothies and some eats it was time for the presentation!
While I did include the video above in this post, I wanted you to get a feel for the excitement at the Launch Event too!
Above: There is the talking carseat from the video!
Above: Showtime! These are the instructions for installing the carseat, literally it's one, two, three!
Above: There were two vehicle stations set up so we could all take turns installing the new BRITAX Frontier 90 and Pinnacle 90 carseats!
Above: After the 'pro' gives you the instructions, then it's your turn to install!
Above: Carseat Close up
Above: Carseat Close up (Isn't the Rose Print sweet?)
Above: Carseat Close up (What do you think of this pattern?)
Above: Carseat Close up, while it looks like it, this isn't the talking carseat!
Above: Gift Bag Station!
Above: Gift Bag Close Up!
I know after all that excitement you are thinking, 'Butterfly, I MUST Have that carseat in my life!, How do I get my hands on one?' Well a little Britax Birdie told me that you have the chance to win one before they even hit stores!
WIN IT: I hope you watched the video carefully, because beginning Firday, March 29th, US-only residents will have a chance to enter to win a seat before they can buy it! Entrants will be required to answer a set of 'trivia' questions related to both the ClickTight promotional video as well as the 'little known truths' that support the need for this technology (like the LATCH anchor limitations, tight seat installs, and locking vehicle seat belts). Thankfully I included all that above, so read this post carefully before you go enter. 15 winners will be selected at random from all eligible entrants by Monday, April 29th to receive a FRONTIER 90. Remember, this starts on Friday, March 29th, and you can enter at: www.BritaxClickTight.com
Another Win It: As you know I'm a BRITAX Latina Advisory Board and Hispanic Digital Outreach Member, and I just happen to know that giveaways will be hosted in April by some of the Latina Advisory Board Bloggers, and I will definitely keep you posted as details are revealed!
Butterflies, if you enter the contest on the Britax Click Tight page, don't forget to come back here and let us know that you did!
My Take:
The carseats are amazingly simple to install and since BOTH the FRONTIER 90 and PINNACLE 90 feature True Side Impact Protection that provides an extra layer of EPP foam to contain a child's head, neck and body and keep them aligned in the event of a crash what's NOT to love? The PINNACLE 90 also features energy-managing Side Impact Cushion Technology, which diverts crash forces away from a child and provides extra protection for the adjacent passenger.
FTC Disclosure: The BritaxHispanic Digital
and Social Media Outreach is in partnership with Mami Innovative Media,
a communications and digital marketing company that pairs multicultural and
Latino bloggers with influential brands and blogging campaigns. I am a blogger
brand ambassador and Latina Advisory Board Member for Britax and while this
post is NOT sponsored and NO monetary compensation has been received for
sharing this experience, I am part of a long term campaign that does provide additional
incentives for my participation. However all opinions are 100% my own. You can connect with BRITAXonTwitterandFacebook. Our Disclosure Policy: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html
I so wish this post wasn't necessary. I walked away from my computer and dis-connected for 24 hours thinking very hard about this. I cooked stick to your ribs favorite meals, because cooking has always been a form of meditation for me. I had hoped the initial feelings that prompted me to want to write this would dis-appear but they haven't.
So that means it must be said.
WARNING: This isn't your friendly, happy, butterfly post, so if you'd rather perceive me as an emotionless creature, stop here. Seriously, stop here.
I'm a liberal who is teased often for it because I lead a very conservative life. I tend to live and let live, but something happened yesterday that just bares sharing. I attended a 'childrens themed' movie film screening, and the all around lack of ethics just totally appalled and disgusted me to be frank.
I spent a year writing where I was 'PR Free' and that included events too. I had read so many horror stories about blogging conferences and events, with people skipping the lines, pushing people and being un-professional, impolite and all around 'entitled' and 'obnoxious'. I didn't want to be around that kind of un-professional behavior (particularly because I'm still also in print publishing), and I didn't want to be associated with that.
It took a long time for me to admit that I was a part of this world and had to immerse myself in it to allow my brand to grow.
Yesterday at the film screening, early birds were asked to wait in the lobby until 3:30 when they would be letting people up.
For the most part a line naturally formed, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Soon there were children running like it was a park, hitting other children with sweaters and running up and down stairs. Oddly enough, many 'moms' were rolling their eyes saying "I would never let MY kids act like THAT", yet their children were doing the same thing they were complaining about as they were on their smart phones paying their children no mind.
Then some self entitled bloggers were walking right up to the front of the line that had formed. Then a group of them went up the escalator with their kids despite being asked NOT to. They were sent back down, and then decided to stand in FRONT of the formed line (you would think the embarassment of being asked to NOT to go up there and then be sent back down for doing so would make them humble).
I guess it's no surprise that the more entitled the parent was, the more obnoxious the child was right?
I'm going to preface this by telling you I taught Special Ed. I taught children with Special Needs and various degrees of skill set and learning ability. I had parents and family of those students watch me in action and I was told I had the patience of a Saint. I'm NOT saying this for a pat on the back.
I also was the first and ONLY teacher who was allowed to take the 'Special Ed' class to the same places around the city that only the mainstream classes had previously enjoyed.
I had managers and employees of venues tell me my classes were welcome back at ANYTIME. That my class was the most inquisitive, polite and well-behaved. Again I am NOT saying this for a pat on my back.
My dears if I can keep 30-40 children not only out of trouble and safe for almost 8 hours per day you should be able to do the same. If you are self-enttiled and obnoxious and think that by raising your children to do the same you are doing them a service you are WRONG.
The event goes on to un-fold into a nightmare of BS I feel I should NOT have been subjected to. Myself and my guest picked a row that was not roped off, did not have anything on the chairs (which would indicate they were occupied) and my guest has vision restrictions and needs to face a movie screen a certain way to ensure she would be able to see. We were asked after we had entered early enough and got seated, and after the theater got crowded for us to move off center several rows back to accomodate a child's seating preference. My guest was going to accomodate, but I didn't give her the chance to, she explained about her vision problem, and I told her she shouldn't have felt like she had to do that, I looked up and said NO! No is becoming my motto and my mantra this year. The word is more liberating than my butterfly wings are.
So first the craziness in the lobby, then this left me with a bad taste in my mouth already, but it gets better. There were two girls in front of us. The one in front of me spent the ENTIRE movie crying and yelling 'I'M SCARED' (by the way she was NOT a toddler, and this movie was NOT scary). The 'mother' and I use that term beyond loosely kept 'reasoning' with her. So we had to hear the annoying loud crying and then the 'mother's' non-stop talking as she 'reasoned' with her.
She needed to take her outside until she calmed down, or NOT bring her if she knew full well that at her age she was not capable of sitting still and being quiet.
The little monster in front of my guest was using her chair as a bouncy seat and pushing back with all her might rocking the chair back with so much force within a centimeter of her knee cap. We kept asking the 'child' to stop, not only did the 'child' give us a dirty look, it gets better, the 'mother' and I again I am using this term loosely, looks at us (as if looks could kill) and tells us tersely to 'SHUT UP!' and to learn how to speak to children.
That made me break out laughing which seemed to make this so called 'mother' more angry, because you can't fight or argue with someone who is actually laughing AT you and not with you. She then tells her daughter 'Don't listen to them. Ignore them. They have no right to speak to you that way, and I apologize for them.' I told her not to apologize for me because I was not sorry, and I told her 'If you don't like people reprimanding your child, then be the parent and do it yourself so no one will have to.'
I'm sick and tired of parents who wear their title as some badge of honor while their children are acting like little animals in public. Being encouraged by her own mother to ignore us made her more defiant. She kept looking back at us defiantly and began her rocking again. This time I looked right at her mother and told her, I'm an adult and I'm stronger, the next time she rears back I will kick that chair so hard it will propel her in mid air. And I also told her I would be waiting for her outside where we could continue this lovely conversation in private and not in a theater where we are supposed to be 'working'.
Just because it was a children's screening, doesn't mean we were supposed to be acting like children.
That theater at the end of that screening was the most filthy I have ever seen a theater, and I swear to God if someone writes that the theater hires ushers for a reason and that it's their job to clean it all up, I will really lose it.
People had the nerve to go 'That sound is so nasty' as they were leaving their rows to exit, when it was THEIR kids that left candy and popcorn on the floor. Two water bottles and one soda bottle rolled down the aisle during the movie hitting people in the ankle.
The people behind me kept kicking the chair.
I came out of that event so disgusted by the sense of entitlement that some people have and then they actually continue that poor behavior by teaching it to their children.
If you think allowing your child to mouth off at adults and act the fool is going to make them independent and successful you are sorely and sadly mistaken.
When your 'precocious'/'independent' child steps into a classroom, they have to abide the teachers rules. When they go into the workforce they have to abide by their boss's rules. YOU will NOT be there to protect them. When their nasty little mouth gets them detention (and they end up seated next to a troubled kid with a switchblade), you will not be able to get them out of it. When their nasty attitudes get them fired, even if you have your own business they can come and work for, that won't take away the fact they couldn't cut it at work because they can't take direction.
A 'Mother' isn't just a woman who had an infant slide out of her birth canal. There is WAY more to it than that. Part of your job title is "teacher', 'guide', and disciplinarian.
Apparently these 'women' and 'mother's don't know about "The Look". The Look is NOT an urban myth, it's not a urban legend, and it goes beyond the fodder of comedy shows where you probably heard the reference.
Let me explain how to use the look and what each look means:
Look one - This means: 'I saw you engaging in that in-appropriate behavior, STOP IT NOW!' - Even if the child doesn't repeat the behavior, they know this is going to be discussed when they get home anyway.
Look two - This means 'No you didn't just do that again, STOP IT NOW! I realize even adults can forget, this is warning two' - Now this is not only going to be discussed when we get home, you will face repercussions for your actions.
Look three - This varies, with some parents you get it then and there, with others this means 'STOP NOW! Because I'm about to tear that little a$$ up!' Look three stops ALL children who have the look system incorporated into discipline to STOP in their little tracks right then and there.
Look three is NOT a question, it's an answer. If you didn't get hit on the spot, you were going face major punishment when you got home.
The Look is actually meant to eliminate the need for corporal punishment. Used properly and consistently you should actually never have to hit them to teach them how to behave. It should be prefaced by a talk that outlines how you expect to them to behave wherever it is you are taking them.
Here is an interesting perspective on discipline and The Look that I found on YouTube:
I waited for 'mouthy mom' outside the theater, but she was more desperate to get a gift bag than to be held accountable for her actions. Karma is a B. She ran into me again in the bathroom where she seemed to have nothing to say, and I told her I'd see her outside the theater. And I did. She walked away in the opposite direction so fast with those monsters of hers in tow, and yes I gave her 'The Look'. Apparently she must know what it means because she couldn't get away fast enough, since she understood it, she should use it with her child and then maybe that encounter wouldn't have been necessary.
Sorry 'mothers', but you are harming your children and doing them a dis-service in life if you don't teach them common sense, rules and discipline and how to act in public. You are also hurting yourself, because if you tell them ignoring adults is OK then eventually they will ignore you too, and you will be so sorry when they become teens at risk. But personally I don't care what they put YOU through you deserve it if you don't want to instill common sense in them, but I DON'T.
I'm not invited to screenings because of my pretty face. I'm invited because I have well over 175K in overall monthly site hits. I was a professional film critic for print, this is work for me. I'm there to do a job, and I shouldn't have to put up with crap to do my job because you are an inept parent.
There are certain toy companies that host events in the city and on the invitation make it clear that no children are allowed. And I would hear some moms rant about this when they saw each other. They would all send nasty emails. Threatening emails, well if I can't bring my kid and you won't pay for a baby sitter I won't come. And in my mind I would always think 'yeah right 'ladies' you wouldn't tell your employer that, and you can't tell the brand that either, this is WORK, be a professional.' The sad part is, it's because those kids act like animals that they are not welcome. I personally applaud those brands, and I also do so with my support. I attend every event those brands throw, because they are a breath of fresh air, I don't have to worry about things flying through the air, kids bumping into everything, knocking things down and worse.
I'm tired of hearing women use the term 'mom' and 'mother' and 'motherhood' like it's some badge of honor and they've done something noble simply by giving birth. The job isn't over when you push the kid out, RAISE them, REAR them, TEACH them, GUIDE them, then you get to put on your badge.
And yes I'm expecting feedback from this post, I'm even sure the mothers of those little poorly reared children will have something to say (despite the fact I waited for them and they didn't have the nerve to do it in person), I'd tell you to be respectful, but if you weren't capable of handling your own child and teaching them to be respectful you probably will be even less capable of it, behind the security of your computer.
BTW, the movie itself was fantastic, and I will review it in a separate post. I get that child-rearing and discipline are always going to vary, but teaching your children how to behave in public and that there are expectations of proprietary and decorum in public and consequences for their action should be a given, I personally don't care how you do it, I don't care if you incorporate "The Look" or you don't quite frankly, JUST DO IT!
How did YOUR parents teach you to behave in public places? Share here!
Isn't it fantastic when an awesome union produces something truly wonderful? Now I'll bet your thinking of your little blessing aren't you? But in fact I'm talking about the Union of BOB Trailers, Inc (which began in 1994 as a manufacturer of Bicycle Trailers and is now considered one of the most innovative 'sport utility'/jogging strollers) and BRITAX which manufactures a full line of premium car seats, strollers, baby carriers and accessories! It's a win/win marriage of form and function all with infant safety at the forefront of it's mind.
"Families want products that fit their lifestyles," said Karl Kahofer, CEO of BRITAX Child Safety, "and BRITAX is committed to developing products and technologies that provide safe mobility and comfort for children around the world.We've admired for some time BOB's ingenuity and commitment to customers and are convinced that its products, customer service, and business ethics make it a natural fit for BRITAX. This purchase reinforces BRITAX global leadership in child safety and mobility, and is fully in line with our international growth strategy. We have no plans to change the BOB name; in fact we are excited to expand the BOB product range globally."
BRITAX acquired BOB Trailers in 2011 and this marriage of the minds is nothing but a win/win for families! They can literally meet the lifestyle needs of pretty much any family!
"When we started this company more than fifteen years ago," he said, "we simply wanted to design and manufacture the world's best single-wheel bike trailers, and later, the world's best strollers for active, sports-minded parents. When you look at the thoughtful engineering behind the BRITAX stroller line and the revolutionary design behind its car seats, you can see why our two companies will fit well together." ~ BOB cofounder and CEO, Roger Malinowski
Will a BOB have you covered? Just say CHECK!
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Jogger? Check. (The Fixed Front Wheel gives you increased stability while hiking, jogging, or navigating crazy city streets too!)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tough Terrain? Check. (The State-of-the-Art adjustable suspension system provides a smooth ride! Not to mention the high-impact polymer composite wheels with pneumatic knobby tires and tubes provide increased traction! With a simple twist of the front wheel tracking adjustment knobs you will keep rolling straight throughout your jog or hike.)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Storage? Check. (A Low Cargo Basket provides undercarriage storage and there is more storage space in the large seatback pocket and the internal seat pockets are a great place to stash snacks and toys.)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Protection Against the Elements? Check. (The Adjustable, Multi-Position Canopy has got you covered, and the large viewing window allows you to keep an eye on your baby while on the go!)
My Take:
So butterflies, no excuses, your baby doesn't mean you have to give up your fitness routine, you can keep up your power walks, jogging or hiking and have extra time with baby too! Remember babies do need a certain amount of outdoor exposure, there is that vitamin we all need that only comes from some time in the daylight! The sun is our friend!
Win It!
I am a BRITAX Hispanic Digital Outreach and Social Media Blogger and Ambassador and one of the best parts of working with BRITAX, is the opportunity to present my readers and followers with some amazing giveaways! BRITAX and BOB are helping us to spread some holiday cheer and make our holiday buying guide that much more fabulous with an awesome giveaway! One lucky Butterfly will receive a BOB Stroller (the exact model will be selected by BRITAX at time of prize fulfillment) that is over $400 in Approximate Retail Value! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter, if you experience problems with rafflecopter loading, please refresh your browser or clear your cache and open a new browser window.
You can learn more about Britax and get product updates via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Follow all the Britax Blogueras for the latest giveaways and deals! Each of the Britax Hispanic Digital Outreach Bloggers will be hosting BOB Stroller Giveaways this holiday season, so visit all of us for extra chances to win!
FTC
Disclosure:
The BritaxHispanic
Digital and Social Media Outreach is in partnership with Mami Innovative
Media, a communications and digital marketing company that pairs
multicultural and Latino bloggers with influential brands and blogging
campaigns. I am a blogger brand ambassador for Britax, I am part of a long term campaign that does provide additional
incentives for my participation. However all opinions are 100% my own. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit:
http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html
I've been watching the news unfold new details of the tragic shooting today at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. I am deeply saddened, and am joining in the prayers being sent to the students, teachers, and the families who are suffering a loss no one should ever know. There are various groups out there using their social media for good, and the one for those on Twitter is #PrayersforNewton,
In light of today's tragedy I know it seems impossible to turn our hearts toward inspiration, but it's only with sending light and love to the victims that we can begin to heal. Many moms expressed on Facebook that they are planning to hug their kids extra hard today, and I plan to do the same with my nieces and nephews.
If you can think of nothing to be grateful for today, be thankful you are home, be thankful if your child made it home safely from school today. As an inspiration based community let's find a way to encourage one another and take our energies to a place of healing. Post any prayers and thoughts here, all comments are moderated so I respectfully ask that you refrain from posting any hate messages to the shooter here, this is NOT the forum or place for that kind of hate and anger.
As a former Special Ed Teacher myself, I shudder to think that this could have easily been my school. A school that wasn't in an area nearly as nice as Newton, a school where there were students with special needs and broken homes. It's such a sad state of our times that our elementary schools now need to up their security measures to ensure the safety of children!
I hope all of your little butterflies made it home today safely!
Statistics show that women have trouble taking a compliment. When you tell a woman her dress is beautiful, she is prone to say 'This Old Thing?'. Why is that?
I have always wondered why this was so, and so does Dove. If you do too, you can participate in a Nationwide Conversation where you can join women across the country from October 5-7th, when Dove will be holding a nationwide rally to talk about Beauty, Confidence and Self-Esteem. Use this weekend as the impetus to commit to talking to the girl in your life during this weekend and beyond about both Inner and Outer Beauty. It all starts with a simple conversation and it all starts with you! Anxiety About Looks Begins at an Early Age and holds girls back from reaching their full potential Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 72 percent of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Only 11 percent of girls (ages 10-17) are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - When girls feel bad about their looks more than 60 percent globally (age 15 to 17) avoid normal daily activities such as attending school, going to the doctor, or even giving their opinion
Aren't those statistics sad and shocking? Don't know how to begin the talk? Download the Guide HERE, it gives you great starting points and questions you can ask to help you learn what your daughter, god-daughter, or niece feels about herself and about Beauty. The initiative is also available in Spanish, where it is titled 'Vive Mejor Hablemos' or "Let's Talk". As a Latina, I am super happy to see that the initiative is being done in Spanish as well as English! Empowering
our girls before society can knock down their self-esteem is essential! They
still won't find enough faces they can relate to in mainstream media, so
raising confident young women and instilling that within them while they are
still young is very important!
The initiative can be found on Facebook in both English and Spanish and you can follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag @Dove #DoveInspired as well.
My family was great at instilling Self-Esteem, which was important because the school system as well as other students when I was younger certainly tried to knock it down, and having that strong foundation made it easier for me to remain confident even when the world told me I shouldn't be, even when the television really didn't have any faces I recognized or could relate to. Even though I was born here, my mother was and my maternal Grand-Mother was too, and we spoke 'perfect' English, I was pulled out of an honors class and put into an ESL class WITHOUT my parents consent. That day I told my mother and the next morning she was at the school correcting the situation. But it was scary and was a confidence shaker, and even though it was quickly corrected it was just a reminder that I was 'different' somehow from everyone else.
But the things that rob young girls of confidence are universal issues, bullies, boys who don't know how to be respectful, and more, it's up to us to make sure we keep up with the pulse of what that young girl in our life is going through. For me as a lifelong music lover I keep track of all things music and videos, and the highly sexualized lyrics and videos of much of today's popular music is actually having a very detrimental effect on the Self-Esteem of young girls. We need to be sure they understand that being objectified isn't beautiful and they should NOT feel like that is how they need to act or look to be beautiful, to be confident, or to be accepted.
When one of my nieces was younger, she accompanied me and another of her Aunts to a popular department store and we were swimsuit shopping for an upcoming family vacation. She picked up the skimpiest bikini on the rack much to my dismay and ran to a mirror and held it up to herself and said she wanted it. I knew that was my opening. I did not want her thinking that was appropriate or acceptable, she was way too young for a bikini, but most importantly I wanted to understand why she felt that swimsuit was important to her. What made her think it would make her more beautiful?
Me being the youngest Aunt there is an automatic assumption I will be the 'fun Aunt', but being fun and allowing them to get away with murder are two very different things. I always turn out to be 'tougher' than they expect. But for me it's teaching them life lessons in a way that makes them understand how to make the right choices, not just for the adults in their lives to make it for them.
In my family Inner Beauty was given the importance many place in outer beauty, we were taught one of the most beautiful things you could do was share with others less fortunate. Achievements were recognized not with bribes for doing the right thing, but acknowledgement for a job well done.
Teenage actress and singerKeKe Palmer, a voice of inspiration for girls, will kick off the weekend with a march to Times Square inNew Yorkto call for a national discussion on girls' self-esteem. Dove is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential, and the weekend is one of the many ways in which the brand brings to life its vision to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.
KeKe Palmerwill join 250 members of Girls Scouts of theU.S.A., Girls Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Young Women's Leadership Schools (TYWLS) as they march alongside their moms and mentors. The girls will carry signs saying "Let's Talk," in an effort to ask women everywhere to start a conversation on beauty anxiety that girls experience and how it impacts their self-esteem. My mom actually brought the First Girl Scout Troop to our borough, and I remember all the struggles she went through back then trying to find space, trying to rally the parents to take the organization and what it could do seriously and not just use it for a free after-school child sitting service.
"Like most girls there have been times when I have felt insecure about my looks," saysKeKe Palmer. "I am lucky enough to have a mom that I can turn to in these moments. She helps me feel more confident, and I know girls everywhere need and value that kind of encouragement. The Dove Self-Esteem Weekend is all about starting a conversation and helping girls develop a more positive relationship with beauty." ~ Keke Palmer
Even the Award Winning Keke Palmer has experienced being bullied on twitter, she recently confided in a Huffington Post Interview. Even celebrity does not shield girls from attacks to their self-esteem. Empower your girls today!
Amazing Things can Happen When We Come Together – in English AND in Spanish
Dove Self-Esteem Weekend events will take place in cities across the nation, including New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. Boys & Girls Club of Venice, Calif., will host an event for 1,000 people on Saturday, October 6th. Teen singer Jessica Jarrell, who joined the brand earlier this year as an ambassador for the "Women Who Should be Famous" program, will perform. In Miami, parenting expert, People en Espanol columnist Jeannette Torres-Alvarez will host a parenting workshop about helping girls develop a positive relationship with beauty. Look online at www.Dove.com/self-esteem for further details about an event near you.
The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem aims to reach 15 million girls globally with self-esteem programming by 2015. Together with experts and key partners, the brand has reached more than 9 million girls. The commitment to this goal is underscored with a Spanish-language web platform that will house self-esteem resources and reach countless more girls. Women who wish to access these materials in Spanish can visit www.vivemejor.com.
Your Purchase Counts - Discover the Dove® Difference
Dove is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential. The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem invites all women to join us in creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. Each time you buy Dove you are helping them and their charitable partners provide inspiring self-esteem programming for girls. They have reached more than 9 million girls so far and with your help they can reach their target of 15 million by 2015. Your day to day purchases can help to empower so many!
As for me, I never felt more beautiful than when I presented my College Diploma to my Mother, it was her dream for me because she didn't get to finish, and I think we BOTH shined that day, check out our happy faces below:
Achievement is beautiful, Honesty is beautiful, teaching your daughter she's beautiful, letting her get that positive feedback from YOU will shield her from a world of hurt later on!
Ascending Butterfly is a LIFESTYLE Blog. While it's Founder/Editor is in full possession of a Uterus, she doesn't choose to use it, keep that in mind before hitting send on your next pitch. We focus on Travel, Spirits, All things Foodie, Photography, Beauty, Fashion, Eco Friendly, with a mind, body,and soul approach to wellness and well-being.
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