"I want my daughter to be..."

Recently I was in an office and I saw a magazine nearby with the title of an article "I want my daughter to be a strong independent woman."

To be honest, it really turned me off to even reading the article (which of course I couldn't do anyway, as I was keeping Henry from jumping off chairs).

Granted, the article could have been great. Even the title got me thinking. I mean, who doesn't want their daughter to be a strong independent woman?

But here's the thing. If I were to identify qualities I want MY daughter to have when she grows up, strong and independent are not at the top of the list.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not pushing for a weak, helpless grown woman.

But here are the qualities that I truly want my daughter to have:

Compassionate. I want Adele to be tender-hearted. To have a feeling of deep sorrow for others who are suffering from misfortune. And to be so overcome with that sympathy, that her heart desires to help alleviate the suffering. I want Adele to care.

Selfless. I want Adele to think first and foremost about others. To be generous with her time and money. I want her to see ways in which she can contribute to the world, and not be focused on ways the world revolves around her.

Kind. I want Adele to go beyond just being nice, but I want her to be considerate, and helpful, and gentle, and loving. I want this to be so part of her nature that she displays kindness both in her words and her actions.

Truthful/Honest. I want Adele to be honorable in her actions. To be fair, and sincere. I want people to see her as trustworthy, always struggling and striving to do the right thing.

Genuine. I want Adele to be real, not someone pretending to be something she's not. So that when she displays the other aforementioned characteristics, they will be real, coming from her heart.

Some might look at this list and not be able to see how a strong independent woman could fit this mold.

I beg to differ.

And some might look at this list and see a it as very girly.

But truth be told, it's the same list I have for Henry. :)