If you’re raising a tall daughter, these tips are for you. Here are a few words of wisdom to help tall girls feel accepted and grow up confidently.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty tall–6 foot 2.5 inches, to be exact.
My height is unavoidable and mentioned nearly every time I meet someone new. I’m used to the comments now, but when I was younger, I hated them. I didn’t want to stand out, especially for something that I couldn’t change.
As I’ve gotten older, I have come to really love and appreciate my height. Of course, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the superficial perks of being tall, like being asked if I’ve ever considered modeling, but most of all, I love my height because it makes me, well, me.
As an expectant mother and an aunt to four nieces, I have been thinking a lot about the values I’d like to instill in my future children and how to help my nieces grow up confidently. While I’m not yet sure if I’m having a girl, I’ve thought about how I’d like to help my daughter grow up confidently, should I have one. With my husband and I both being tall, there is a pretty good chance that we will have tall children.
So, reflecting on my own experiences as a tall girl, I have compiled a list of some of my best tips for helping tall girls grow up with high self-esteem and confidence.
Don’t make it a big deal
When raising a tall girl, try not to make her being tall a “thing.” To clarify, what I mean by this is not to emphasize the fact that she’s tall, even though other people may notice. The best thing you can do is accept your daughter’s height and not call unnecessary attention to it. Instead, focus on enriching more important characteristics, like her intelligence, creativity, and kindness.
Don’t force her to participate in sports
Unless your daughter expresses a natural interest in sports, don’t pressure her to sign up for a sports team just because she’s tall. Instead, let her gravitate towards things naturally, and if she is interested in sports, that’s great! She will find what she’s passionate about on her own. As a tall girl who had zero interest in competitive sports, I felt even more out of place since I was told I should play certain tall sports and utilize my height.
Don’t place value in boys and dating
Growing up as a tall girl, I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard comments about my height and potential dating prospects. While I have met many guys in my adult life who say they prefer taller women, dating as a tall girl wasn’t always easy, especially in early adulthood.
I remember feeling insecure next to my more petite friends when it came to things like going to school dances, as I felt like I towered over most of the boys in my class. So when your daughter gets to the age where she starts showing an interest in dating, try to remind her that she is worth so much more than whether or not a guy likes her and that if a guy rejects her simply for being tall, he isn’t worth her time anyway.
Make your daughter aware of how everybody is different – which is beautiful.
Talk to your daughter before she internalizes the media’s misrepresentation of women and thinks that one type is idealized. Let her know that the media misrepresents women and that there are so many body types and diversity is what makes us unique and beautiful. Celebrate all body types and help guide her to find role models that embrace this message too!
Do you have any tips I didn’t mention? Please share your wisdom and help your fellow tall girls and moms out there!
