Enough.

You are enough.

She is enough. 

But do we live like we are? Do we believe this? Do we teach our daughters this truth?

I just read the book  Enough as She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives  by Rachel Simmons.

After almost 20 years of observing young women, Simmons believes that girls today are plagued with harsh, inner critics coupled with an intense fear of failure. Even though girls can achieve more today than ever in our history, they are feeling overwhelmed with thoughts that they will never be enough - pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough, popular enough, etc. 

What can we do about this?

It made me realize that I'm not quite sure my husband and me have parented in a way that's telling our daughters that they are enough. It reminded me of all of those "you should do ____" and "you should be more _______" and "you have to be _______." It's been all too easy to fall into a performance-based mindset as we ask how she did on that math test or criticized how she played soccer in her game. 

This book is a must read for all parents of daughters today. It made me write down our family values and redefine what success means for our family. As a society, we've got to work together as a whole to redefine success for our girls.