Way to go all you mighty moms and dads!
I just want to say thank you for all you mighty moms and dads out there! I think this organization is wonderful. I am not a mom, but I always like following 'a mighty girl' on Facebook because I really like the inspiring comments and videos they post. I think my parents had a similar attitude to all of you out there, and I think that is why I am the way I am today.
Growing up I never was told 'that's a boy thing' or 'that's a girl thing'. Me and my brothers and sister all did the same chores: we all had to cook, we all had to mow the lawn, we all had to help remodel the house. My dad built rockets with all of us and helped us all build our own computer.We all got tool sets for Christmas too. I also got dolls and barbies for Christmas. We would play with both. (I remember playing a game we invented called 'Leggo Invasion', which was a battle between the Barbies and Leggos. The Leggos were more technologically advanced, but the Barbies were bigger and stronger. In the end they would always learn to work together with their strengths) I was not a 'tom boy' and my favorite color was pink because I thought it was a beautiful color, but I never felt I was limited being a girl.
I ended up going to college at a pretty conservative university. That's when I realized not everyone grew up the same way I did. I decided to join the Air Force ROTC and was surprised when I was one of the five women in a group of 200 cadets. I was majoring in physics and I thought it was weird that people acted surprised when I told them what I was studying. I think physics is really difficult and ROTC is as well, but that doesn't mean you should shy away from it. I noticed a lot of girls giving up on more difficult things and lacking the self confidence to keep going. I have talked to many other girls at my university that have told me that they always had a dream to be in the Air Force but as a woman never thought it was an option or were told by their parents not to do it. I am glad my parents never put limits on me because I was a girl and taught me that I could do anything I wanted. Studying physics and doing ROTC were probably some of the best choices I have ever made. Now I am financially independent and am doing something I love. I have faced a lot of opposition being a minority in these fields, but because of the confidence my parents instilled in me when I was young, I am able to keep going. Girls I know that try to do the same thing without having that good foundation confidence from a young age really struggle in these fields.