Rachel Simmons Quotes

"For generations, black children have been brought up to have a critical race consciousness, a framework for dealing with prejudice and discrimination, which helps inoculate them against the spiritual toxins they will almost certainly encounter as they come of age in our society."

"Parents of all girls must simultaneously explain overt and covert sexism, name it whenever they see it, and teach their daughters to do the same."

"Girlhood is often marred by schoolgirl cruelty, a grim rite of passage in which parents sometimes cruelly collude. Mothers and fathers must take a stand against petty or protracted hostility between girls."

"What teens share online is dwarfed by what they consume. Pre-Internet, you had to hoof it to the grocery store to find a magazine with celebrity bodies - or at least filch your mother's copy from the bathroom. Now the pictures are as endless as they are available."

"It never hurts to tell your teen they matter more than their looks."

"There are many ways to be the odd girl out. Your pain can brief or lasting, visible to all or none, with one or many. One of the longest, quietest ways to be the odd girl out is to be friends with two girls who are closer to each other than to you."

"When girls can be honest with each other, they can make mistakes on their own terms and discover through experience - and not through knee-jerk adult intervention - what a healthy friendship should look like."

"In the age of girl power, we're loath to send a message of surrender to our girls. To the contrary: we've doubled down on giving them permission to speak up and fight for their rights. This is a good thing."

"Reacting to every slight or letdown is neither realistic nor fair; it sends the message that we expect the other person to be flawless in relationship. But no one is perfect, and no one relationship can ever meet all our needs."

"Teaching girls to agitate over every problem implies that relationships, and people, can bend to our will."

"Sometimes true girl power means accepting that we are actually vulnerable and even powerless - then figuring out how to adapt and have our needs met in other ways."

"Painful breakups can have profound effects on the body and mind."

"Sadness, irritability, fatigue, and distractedness are among the most common side effects of grief while parenting."

"Parents are teachers as much as caregivers, and our children learn to navigate life's challenges by watching us. Kids can get a road map for how to handle painful emotions."

"If parents shield their children from real feelings, kids falsely imagine their parents are in constant control of themselves - and may try to emulate them."

"When your child believes you really respect what he's feeling, he'll be much more likely to trust you."

"We learn best when we're intrinsically motivated - that is, when we try something new for the sheer enjoyment of the experience."

"Intrinsic motivation is one of learning's most precious resources. It bolsters us to stick out the tough moments of a challenge and pursue what we love to do."

"Failing well is a skill. Letting girls do it gives them critical practice coping with a negative experience. It also gives them the opportunity to develop a kind of confidence and resilience that can only be forged in times of challenge."

"If smart phones had been around for women in the 1950s, 'The Feminine Mystique' might never have been written. The depression and ennui of housewives would have been blunted by Pinterest and Facebook."

"Girls may love movies about fairytale princes, but their most captivating romance is with their friends."