Sometimes comparing can be a good thing: it can inspire us to work harder and reach farther. But for the most part, excessive measuring yourself up against others – especially when it becomes a way to put yourself down – is a colossal waste of time. It’s a dead end. It won’t make you do anything except feel horrible. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
Empathy isn’t the same thing as expressing emotions. It’s not about sharing your feelings – it can be really uncomfortable if a parent cries or loses strength at the moment her daughter needs it most. The message sent is that you need to be taken care of, not the other way around. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
To defer to someone else’s definition of a life well-lived is a Faustian bargain. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
In the so-called age of girl power, we have failed to cut loose our most regressive standards of female success – like pleasing others and looking sexy – and to replace them with something more progressive – like valuing intelligence and hard work. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
The Internet has transformed the landscape of children’s social lives, moving cliques from lunchrooms and lockers to live chats and online bulletin boards and intensifying their reach and power. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
The Internet foments outrageous behavior in part because it is a ‘gray area’ for social interactions. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
Most parents would not hesitate to assume responsibility for their child’s behavior on a playground, at school, or in someone else’s home. What happens online should be no different. Parents should talk with their children about computer ethics, stipulate rules of conduct, and – most importantly – establish consequences. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
Classroom teachers can play an active role in instructing children about appropriate conduct online, even where there is no school policy on the issue. By promoting public discussion about their lives on the Internet, teachers and students can work together to share advice and develop ‘rules to type by’ or similar Internet-minded guidance. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
When I did the original research for ‘Odd Girl Out,’ I asked every bullied girl I interviewed to tell me what she needed most from her family. The answer truly surprised me. It wasn’t having the best solutions, calling the school, or trying to act like everything was okay. It was empathy. Rachel Simmons Read Quote
