Racer Rocks!

The Speed Racer is in a bit of a snit because she has been woefully neglected on this blog. She has a point; I’ve blogged a lot about Spud, a bit about Tater, and none about her.



In the interest of balance, I must tell you . . . my daughter is AMAZING. I'm pretty sure this song was written about her.




Our Racer is self-motivated, self-disciplined, smart, and kind. She’s quite confident in herself and her abilities, and sometimes I feel embarrassed by that. Yet confidence is the quality I admire most in her, and the one I worry she’ll lose first when she hits puberty, as happened to many of us as young girls. (Can someome please explain to me why that happens? And what we as mothers can do to help prevent it?)











Racer isn't just mentally strong, she's also kick-ass strong. This chick is a rock of sheer muscle who happily out-runs, out-push-ups, and out-pull-ups the boys in her class.







As strong as Racer is, she’s easily hurt. It's hard raising a girl, and I remember it was hard being a girl. The fact is girls aren’t always nice to each other. My daughter asks me why this is, and I have no answer for her. Why are we as girls/women the first to point out each other’s flaws and smack each other down?


Can you imagine the difference it would make in our daughters’ lives if we consciously taught our daughters to support and encourage each other? To confront each other respectfully instead of talking behind each other’s backs? To include each other instead of exclude? To value our differences instead of ridiculing them? I want to be that kind of mom. I want to be that kind of woman. Some days I hit the mark, but most days I fall short.

The other day I was thinking that I want Racer to have it all when she grows up – a great career, a beautiful family, a fabulous shoe collection. But women pay a steep price to have it all. We're expected to be all things to all people. I guess I really want Racer to have just enough. Just enough to love being herself.




Rock on, Racer.