Advice To My Granddaughters For Women’s Day

Learning comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a matter of studying hard and doing well in school. Or it can involve getting your hands dirty while you learn a new skill. And often, it's just a matter of listening to people when they talk, learning from their experience, and figuring out how to apply it to your own life. Never, ever pass up an opportunity to learn something new, because it's through learning that we grow.

As someone who has spent her entire life worrying over her weight, I'd love to see my granddaughters focus on health, not pounds. Body image insecurities can be so damaging to everyone, but especially women when they're faced with supermodels and anorexic actresses as role models. So I'll tell my granddaughters that beauty comes from being healthy and confident, not from starving yourself and wearing a smaller size.

There will always be people in the world who want to get a head by pushing others out of the way. And it's easy for women to fall into the trap of allowing it to happen. I will tell Cami and Stella to always stand up for themselves, never allow anyone to make them feel less important, and speak up when they know the answer. There are worse things than being wrong...like never letting anyone know that you were right.

Girls grow up to be women with jobs, spouses, children, and responsibilities. But I've always found that it's an important part of being happy to keep a portion of your childhood with you. Feed your inner girl with trips to the zoo or by spending an hour in a toy store just playing with everything you see. Ditch the makeup and high heels and go hiking or to a baseball game. Or, better yet, play baseball! Being a girl is fun, exciting, and rewarding!