Raising girls in 2026: what I wish every parent knew
Sometimes I think about how much harder it is to be a girl now than when I was growing up. The noise is louder, the expectations higher, and the pace of life feels like it never lets up. And yet, the heart of girlhood hasn’t changed: every young person still longs to belong, to be seen, and to believe they are enough.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself: What do girls really need from us right now?
I keep coming back to this: they don’t need us to fix them, they need us to believe in them.
There’s a beautiful quote from Glennon Doyle that I love: “The truest, most beautiful life never promises to be an easy one.” What she’s really saying is — our daughters don’t need us to smooth the road ahead. They need us to walk alongside them as they learn how to navigate it.
Featured Thought: Confidence Comes from Doing Hard Things
It’s tempting to step in and protect our girls from every stumble, every rejection, every rough patch. But what if we reframed it?
Confidence doesn’t come from getting everything right. It comes from doing something hard, not knowing if you’ll succeed, and realizing that you’re still whole and worthy no matter the outcome.
At camp, I watch this every summer: a camper picking up a guitar for the first time, fumbling through chords, then beaming with pride when she gets it right — not because it was perfect, but because she stuck with it.
That’s what I want for every girl: to know she is strong enough to try, to fail, and to try again.
For Parents: Three Simple Ways to Build Confidence at Home
- Let them struggle (safely). Step back just enough to let her wrestle with the hard thing. It’s in the struggle that growth takes root.
- Name her effort, not just her talent. Instead of “You’re so smart,” try “I love how you kept at that even when it was tough.”
- Model self-compassion. When you mess up, say it out loud: “I made a mistake, but I’m still proud of myself for trying.”
From Amplify
At Amplify, we’ve seen how creativity builds courage. Whether through music, writing, or art, when girls express themselves freely, they begin to believe in their own voices. That’s why we do what we do — and why I’m so excited to keep building spaces where girls don’t just survive, but truly thrive.
With warmth and gratitude,
Jen Baron
Executive Director, Amplify Arts Project
Founder, She Thrives
