An Even Better Article Buried Deep in A Sensational One

Hidden deep into the article, Cheerleaders Gone Wild--I wonder how many unfortunate souls will now be directed to this post when they Google that phrase?--is a great bit of advice for parents. One that I am thankful my parent followed when raising me.
Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees & Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence, writes, "You should not do the talking for your child. Let your kid work it out when it comes to grades and playing time." She continues, "If your child learns to speak to people in a position of power about something they feel is not right and to articulate how they feel about it, you are teaching your child a very powerful life lesson."
Now that I have been on the receiving end of a few parents who want to fight battles for their children, I can absolutely agree with what Wiseman believes. For me, I'd like to emphasize the added importance of teaching those character traits to girls. Now that babyTate is a part of my life, I am much more aware of the stereotypes that we force upon females. I never want babyTate to rely on someone else to fight her battles; I especially don't want her to feel that those traits should belong only to men. I will survive a sassy, independent daughter if it means that she learns to fight for what she believes is right, to articulate why she believes it is right, or to accept when what she believes is wrong.