The Challenge of Raising Little Bosses
Paula Creed-Smith joins us today to talk about her responsibilities towards her 2 daughters and how to raise successful Little Bosses.
Raising Little Bosses
by Paula Creed-Smith
Being a business owner permeates just about every area of my life. It’s almost nefarious how slowly everything seems to morph into a business-related conversation or transaction.
That being said, my first and greatest responsibility is to my children.
My children are by far, the most precious surprise gifts I have ever received and they are my utmost highest achievement.
I look at my sweet girls and I am totally overcome by how absolutely exquisite they are.
They are smart… I mean truly brilliant. They are funny. They are sensitive and more than anything, they embody the best of both my husband and myself.
My childhood was humble in the beginning, then entered a darker place I won’t venture into here, but that part of my life weighs heavily on how I parent. I want a better childhood for my children and I want to be a better mom than I had.
(DISCLAIMER- my mother was actually a great mom plagued by misfortune and depression and we are very close now).
I feel that my girls have a bit of a mountain to climb in life. For one, they are girls and, let’s face it, gender bias and the glass ceiling are very real. Secondly, my girls are multi-cultural. I am of Caribbean descent and my husband is of Italian descent.
My priority is to raise strong, smart, educated, centered women who are unmoved and undeterred by outside interference.
My deepest heart’s desire is to ensure that my little lady bosses can look in a mirror someday and know who they are, where they came from, where they are going and that they can do absolutely anything. This, my friends, is where we start to go deep.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”d248B” via=”yes” ]Here is the crux of the entire matter, raising little bosses.[/ctt]
I once read somewhere that your voice of discipline becomes your child’s inner voice. That really resonated with me. I mean, obviously, in raising children, the way you interact with them stays with them and shapes them, but I guess reading it and seeing the words just clicked for me. When I correct my children, I call them “ma’am.” You may be asking, “why on earth would you address your children that way at that particular time?”
Honestly, I want to show my children what respect looks like.
In a clear stern voice, I give my directive or whatever correction, but I always say, ma’am.
I am teaching my girls that even if they are wrong, they still need to be addressed in a respectful manner.
Also, they learn to replicate this behavior if they are correct. They are learning how to voice satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, in an appropriate way that creates a mutual respect between opposing parties.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”bcUL3″ via=”yes” ]In business, it is critical individuals know how to respectfully disagree or decline an agreement.[/ctt]
This skill can be the difference between a thriving business or losing opportunities for business.
To touch more on the effects of our voice becoming what they hear, I really make a calculated effort to give my girls actually encouragement. Sure, my girls are just about the most beautiful things I have ever laid eyes on, but I want them to know they are smart. I want them to know they are strong. I want them to know their lives have meaning. These are things that I tell them more than the typical fluffy “you’re so pretty”, “you have beautiful eyes”, etc.
I am nurturing substance and I am nurturing their self-esteem.
This requires being intentional and seeking out their leadership qualities and the sharpness of their minds. I am always surprised by what I learn from my children when I make a point to watch them. It’s odd though, sometimes I find that I can specifically name things they inherit from me and in turn, I encourage myself. When I am having a bad day and I see my daughters persist in an area of difficulty, I applaud them. As I tell how strong and persistent they are, I remind myself that is what I need to do.
Business is hard. Parenting is hard.
Doing both…kinda impossible. More than anything, I want to raise healthy, happy kids who become successful adults. I want them as my business partners and train them in the art of lady hustles.
Bottom line, cultivating respect and self-esteem is paramount to raising bosses.
This brings us to my challenge:
4 times a day for one week, be intentional about naming qualities in your children.
They’ll notice and before long, so will you.
Ask Dr. Ho for her thoughts:
I really love this post from Paula. She brings her parenting experience together with her life experiences, including running a successful business, to work to create the life she dreams of for herself, her husband her two daughters.
And about that business, you should check it out. It is called Ceh~Flora Gift Co. and is a Florida based gift box company that offers both pre-curated and custom curated gift boxes. Hit Paula up on all social media (@CehFloraGiftCo) to learn more.
Now, please do share what tips you have for raising little bosses, what you learned from this post and/or anything else pertinent in the comments below.
I will be linking this post up to the parties that are listed on my Party With Me page. If you are a blogger you should go link up too. If you are not then you still should go there are check out all of the greatness. Also, check out my Tip Tuesday Link Party that runs every Tuesday through Friday and We Are Pinnable. I am the guest host for July.
14 thoughts on “The Challenge of Raising Little Bosses”
I agree that children are precious gifts and have so much to teach us. My midwives told me early on to make sure I made it clear to my daughter that I was the Queen, and she was a Princess and how one day here time would come to be the Queen.
What a royal share 🙂
This is a wonderful post!! I raise little bosses too. It is hard to keep them on level ground. I love the idea of telling them four things that are good about themselves throughout the day.
That is a wonderful habit! I love it.
What a lovely post Paula and Elise,
My two little bosses were boys and they’ve now grown up into men, one of them with two little girls of his own.
Because of distance I don’t see as much of them as I’d like to, but their Mum is a great role model and I’m confident she’s bringing them up in much the way Paula is too.
Joy – Blogging After Dark
Hi Paula and Dr Elise
Wow! so inspiring. It is great to know that you want the best for your little bosses. Thank you for sharing as I gained so much insight. Take care
Hi Paula & Dr. Elise,
“…and train them in the art of lady hustles…!”
Loved this post about raising Lady Bosses! Paula, your Girls are lucky to have a Mom that understands the importance of intentional attention and unconditional love. Thanks for lovely read,
Edward
Thank you all for your kind words!
Great post. I have two daughters myself. I worry about what they will grow up to be. They are both so very different. I only hope I can help them to be strong leaders.
The most important thing is that they should be happy. Try your best to instill them with the values that are important to you. You have got this.
I enjoyed reading about Paula… She is doing a great job raising her girls and they are so blessed to have her 🙂
I think that she is too. I learned from her post. 🙂
THis is a great post, thanks! I have one little daughter and I definitely need lots of advice turning her into a strong woman!
We can all learn from one another.