With kids of all ages out of school, you will undoubtedly find yourself chatting with a little boy or girl at some point this summer.
We encourage all our readers to talk with these kids about books–it’s the best kind of conversation-starter and can help undermine some cultural stereotypes at the same time.
Back in 2011, Latina Fatale wrote an inspiring post called “How To Talk To Little Girls.” She urged readers to ask little girls questions about books instead of making body-image comments like “you are so pretty” or “what beautiful hair you have.”
Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she’s reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You’re just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.
As the father of a little girl, I really appreciate this technique to help girls think outside of “our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture.”
(Photo via San José Library)