Excelle

I don't think teaching our children about work ethic or leadership should be judged upon a specific career. My mom was a housewife. Yet I learned that even though she did not go out and earn a paycheck, she had just as many responsibilities. She led by example and showed me that a pile of laundry that needed to be ironed was just as important as a deadline my Dad might have had at his job. Her perspective was the same. Multi-task, set priorities, do your best and get it done.   

I do work outside of the home, I wonder at times whether my daughter is seeing my work ethic or just thinks I am out of sight most of the day. I try to incorporate chores and show her that everyone has responsibilities. As for her future, I feel if I am half as successful as my Mom was in showing her kids the right way to do things, then my daughter will be confident enough to go out in the world and tackle any job she has a desire to do - whether it's a welder or a ballerina, a plumber or a nurse. 

MagicMarketing says ...

Thank you for this question!  I have been speaking to women about the importance of teaching their daughters to be strong, empowered women ready to take on leadership roles!

I agree with AngelaK that it does involve work ethic, but more importantly is the realization that we, as women, must speak up when society tells our daughters where their "place" is in life.

Dee

So true!!

I have tried to teach my daughters by example.  When talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up we never discussed boy vs girl jobs as I don't believe there is such a thing.  As they got older we discussed that the only thing to stop you from doing something would be will, imagination and health issues. 

I've also tried to use things going on in the world to have discussions with my girls, really listening to their opinions and throwing out ideas to get them thinking more.  Such as the presidential race.  When I asked my youngest about a female being president, she said that it would be cool but that she didn't think the world as a whole was ready for the US to have a female president.  Her reasoning was that to many countries that we have allied with are men dominated countries and may not take a woman president seriously.  For a 15 year old I was very impressed by this depth of thinking and logic. 

The schools have so much to teach that there isn't enough time in the day to teach much else, I personally think there is to much testing.  Thank goodness all this wasn't around when Einstein was a child or he may have felt useless and never invented the things that we take for granted now. 

By encouraging my daughters to be involved in after school activities they have also learned more about leadership.  If they don't like how things are being run then they should run for office and make changes.  My youngest was very involved in Girl Scouts and I honestly think this made such a huge impact on her life.  Last year she was part of a 14 girl team that planned and executed a camp for 350 people!!  She learned so many leadership skills by being put into leadership or co leadership roles.

Kids today are to scared to fail and that's how they learn some major life lessons.  They are taught from early on that if they fail the test they won't go to the next grade, if they fail at sports they can't be on the team... it's sad that we've gotten to this point.  I'll close and step off my soap box with a saying I have hanging in my office.

"Good decisions come from wisdom, wisdom comes from experience, experience comes from making bad decisions."

My mom was a teacher because when she was growing up women were either teachers or nurses.  When I first started college I was going to be a nurse.  Then I worked in retail for a few months and decided people were pretty crabby when they were healthy.  I didn't think I  wanted to deal with them when they were sick and crabby. ( I was 19 when I made this decision.)   Of course the fact that spit of any kind makes me gag, elevators in hospitals make me woozy, and something about the smell in the hospital makes me dizzy, it probably wouldn't have been a good job fit.  Although I do have a very caring and nuturing side.   So I went into accounting and management and administration instead of nursing. 

I did substitute teach when I was in college and I taught mostly at the middle school and high school levels.  I subbed a lot for the special education and learning disabled classes.  These kids were so much better than the so called normal kids.  They wanted to learn and they behaved.  If I would have gone into teaching it would have been in this area.

I have taught my children that they are the captains of their own ships.  That they can be anything they want to be if they are willing to work hard for it.  I have tried to instill in them the importance of a good education.  I have reminded them often that I if it weren't for the fact I have worked hard and got a degree that I would never have been able to get such good paying jobs.  I have made it clear we are not a wealthy well connected family, that anything they desire in life they will need to work for because no one is going to hand it to them.  

I try to be a good example by doing what is right.   When we watch TV with our son we use it as a learning experience for him.  When people on TV do things that are wrong or stupid we point them out.  This is why you don't do drugs or steal or lie or whatever the lesson is.   The news is full of good lesson opportunities. 

I was a natural leader.without my parents teaching me nor attended college.  i got myrealstate license and attended some business courses in local community college  family owned and operated jewelery business and  i did all of the administritive and anything else we need to do run the companyover 20 years , but i always looke up to the winners of the industry how things are done.    i will never stop learning . i believe you can learn at any age and you can do anything in your life at any time...    I AM A self tought business minded person.

to me the mot important thing is being honest and your name is what represents you!!!!