Following Hillary Clinton’s official nomination as the Democratic nominee for President, my social media feeds filled with messages of empowerment for women. A lot of parents, including me, cheered the nomination with their daughters nearby. Even Clinton herself addressed any girls who were up late watching the Democratic National Convention by saying that the next President “could be you.”

Clinton’s nomination is a HUGE win for women, regardless of party or political affiliation. As parents, though, I think we might be missing a bigger opportunity that exists beyond just cheering “girl power” with our daughters.

We have to talk to our sons about Hillary Clinton, too.

My son’s reaction was basically to shrug his shoulders. It’s not a big deal to him that a woman was nominated to be President because he believes in his young age that women can and should be leaders, too.

It wasn’t enough to let him just shrug it off though. I took the time to explain WHY it is so historic and to point out that gender equality is not yet what it needs to be in America. I told him that it’s not just up to women to raise the bar for parity — it’s up to men, like him, too. When he sees an opportunity to elevate women, he should take it. When he sees women being treated unfairly, at school or in the workforce, he needs to speak up. He is in this fight alongside his four sisters  — and his contributions will make a big difference.

So when you tell your daughters how important it is that the first woman ever is running for the highest office of the land, include your sons in the conversation. Having women in leadership doesn’t just benefit women; it benefits all of us.

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Category: Womanhood

Tags: daughters