Thanks to American Girl for sending their newest BeForever Doll – Nanea Mitchell to facilitate this post! All opinions expressed here are my own.  

Three Ways to Teach Girls Kindness

For those of you that have been following the blog for a while, you’ve watched BabyCake grow from a toddler right into a big girl. With the big girl title comes friendships. BabyCake is the only girl in the family, so any opportunity we have for her to hang out with other girls, she wants to take advantage of that time. We have a local homeschool group that we’re apart of, and in that group there are no shortage of girls in her age range for her to spend time with. Since making friends with girls that she can relate to, there are also some undesirable factors that come with that. Some girls, even at the age of 6 or 7 are affected by the “mean girl” syndrome. I was so surprised to hear that girls this age even gossip and spread rumors! Since BabyCake isn’t getting any younger, even though I want her to go back to being a baby, I have to take the time to teach her about what it means to be truly kind. 

Three Ways to Teach Girls Kindness

1. Words Matter – I’ve explained to BabyCake that every word that comes out of her mouth can either help or harm someone. Words matter and have the ability to shape how someone feels about themselves. We are all about speaking life and hope, instead of words of negativity and anger. 
2. Set Boundaries – There are mean girls, but that doesn’t mean our children have to accept their rude treatment. I teach BabyCake to set boundaries, and to not allow for other girls to continuously say bad things to her. She has the ability to reject their words, as well as walk away. 
3. Use Examples of Kindness – One of the ways I teach BabyCake kindness is through using American Girl Dolls & books. The newest addition to our American Girl Doll collection is the newest BeForever character Nanea Mitchell. Nanea is a Hawaiian girl growing up on the island of Oahu in 1941. Her story explores what life was like for islanders in the weeks leading up to and the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the U.S.’s entry into World War Two. Nanea examines kindness through giving and selflessness when her family and friends come together to volunteer for the American Red Cross after the Pearl Harbor attack. With examples like these we can teach our daughters lessons of kindness, compassion, and helping others. 

Through the end of the year American Girl has partnered with the American Red Cross!

To support Nanea’s powerful message, now until the end of 2017, American Girl is collecting donations for the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program to help provide comfort and care to members of the military, veterans, and their families. American Girl will match every dollar donation made at americangirl.com and at any American Girl store in the U.S. up to a maximum total donation of $75,000.

American Girl is also giving $575,000 worth of its signature 18-inch dolls to the American Red Cross to provide a bit of cheer to children in times of crisis.

It’s definitely the season for giving and spreading kindness! To learn more about Nanea Mitchell and her story visit AmericanGirl.com. What other methods are you using to teach your daughters kindness? 

Ashley