Ways In Which Mothers Can Support Their Daughters

 Mothers are the pillars of the support of the family. They nurture every member of the family with love and care. But when it comes to daughters mothers take the role of being their biggest support. Not only because of gender but also because of common experience, mothers and daughters are tied by a special knot. Mothers are the role models for daughters who have to face a harsh battle while growing up in a patriarchal society.

Mothers are the ones who teach the daughters to be strong, resilient and undeterred. Through examples from their own life, mothers become the widow for daughters to look at the world. Mothers are also responsible for fixing and empowering lens in the eyes of the daughters to see the world not as a prison but as an opportunity. So yes, mothers play an important role in daughters lives. Although some mothers deny this importance and rather become the medium of oppression in their daughters’ lives. But it is high time mothers stop the cycle of oppression and empower their daughters. So here are some ways in which mothers are can support their daughters.

Mother-daughter relationship: Ways in which mothers can support their daughters

1. Support in education

Studies have proved that women who are educated raise empowered daughters. This study was put into practice in my life where my mother was the biggest inspiration and encouragement to complete my masters. Even if ">mothers are not educated, they should encourage their daughters to have an education and job. This is how women can break the vicious cycle of generational patriarchy.

2. Support in relationships

My mother told me that 1-2 thappad is normal in marriage. But if I wasn’t an educated feminist, I would have internalised domestic violence at once. So mothers play an important role in developing women who seek equality in relationships. Mothers must support their daughters in their decisions about relationships, rather than imposing their own ideas. Moreover, mothers should be the first ones to support their daughters if they are stuck in abusive relationships and decide to walk out.

3. Support in prioritising health

In our society, women’s health is rarely prioritised by families. Women are perceived as machines who work in the kitchen and give birth to babies. But it is high time we start prioritising women’s health. And mothers play an important role in it. Mothers who are aware enough to value their own health must encourage their daughters to go for regular checkups. They should teach their daughters about the health risk that women might face. Even if mothers have not been so careful about their own health because of the patriarchal perceptions, they must ensure that they educate their daughters about prioritising their health.

4. Support in managing money

Women do not know about money because they are always kept out of financial discussions at home. Managing money is not a part of a woman’s upbringing in our society. So, if not men in the house, mothers should be responsible for educating their daughters about money. Even if mothers themselves never managed money, they must teach their daughters to do so. Even if mothers themselves don’t earn money or are financially independent, they must teach their daughters to do so.

5. Support in shedding taboos around menstruation, sex and mental health

The taboo around menstruation, sex and mental health is widely known. When women get their first period, they are expected to internalise the silence about it. My mother cried when I got my first period as if it was something wrong that had happened to me. As of now, we cannot really expect men in the house to normalise period and sex talk. But mothers are definitely responsible for educating their daughters about period and sex. Rather than introducing them as traumas, mothers should open the ground for their daughters to share everything with them including period and sex. Mothers should also educate their daughters about orgasm and tell them that it is their right to demand it.