Celebrating & Raising Strong Girls

Thank you Johnson & Johnson for sponsoring this post.

As a mother of two girls I feel an overwhelmingly strong obligation to raise them with the foundation and confidence to be strong, independent women. Sometimes this feeling of responsibility overwhelms me, especially with everything happening in our society today. I just want to protect them for as long as I can before sending them out into the big, scary world. Today I’ve partnered with Johnson & Johnson to share a few of the things I hope to instill in my daughters from a young age. Johnson & Johnson has had a commitment to the health and wellbeing of women and children since the 1800s! I was so surprised to learn about the integral role that women have not only played in the Johnson & Johnson company but how they’ve worked to ensure women’s needs are taken care of in many different ways, which makes me even happier to support and use their brand!

Here are some of the things I hope to instill in my daughters.

You can do anything you want to do in life.

A mantra that I’ve kept close and thought of often throughout my life. I hope my daughters will grow up thinking and knowing that they can do anything.  But it will take time, energy, effort and hard work. It won’t always be easy, but many good things in life aren’t.

Sometimes you may need to fight for what you believe in and for what is right.

Know your truths, keep them close. You may need to pave your own path, or the path for those that follow.  

Knowing that they were a minority, the female employees at Johnson & Johnson started a women’s club to create a space for professional development, wellness & community.

Men and women are equals but sometimes you may not feel that way or even be treated that way.

You may have to work harder and longer for the same things. One day this will change. Know your worth and don’t settle for less.  

In the 1890s at Johnson & Johnson women became supervisors, took office jobs and research positions.

Image Courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

Use your voice and position to help others.

Because more women were in the Johnson & Johnson workforce in leadership roles, they were able to use their position and voices to help vocalize the needs of women. In the early 1890s, Johnson & Johnson created Maternity Kits with surgical products and easy to follow instructions that made childbirth and the first days of life safer for mothers and their children. And in 1897 they made lives easier for women around the country by mass producing disposable sanitary napkins — replacing the homemade methods that women had previously been relying on.

Now it’s 2018 and as women we still need to use our voices to help vocalize the needs of women. To ensure that we all have the care and resources we need to have healthy pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies, have access to help with nursing. To say hey, we need better breast pumps to help nourish these babies! Of course, so much has changed since the 1890’s but there are still so many maternal issues that need to be fought for. We need our girls to grow up with an understanding of the work that still needs to be done.

Image Courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

Today, Johnson & Johnson continues its work with organizations worldwide to provide women, children and expectant mothers with the resources they need to live healthy lives!  Find out more here on OurStory.jnj.com!

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Images by Mary