Do you ever worry your daughter spends too much time texting friends? Maybe you wish she would spend more time with the family or take up a new hobby or sport.

Every parent wants their child to have a healthy balance of interests. But how can we tell when they’re on track, and how do we help when they’re not?

One of the best ways is to ensure girls have a variety of “connection points,” including family, friends, school, community activities, and personal interests. Focusing too much on just one connection, narrows her sources of validation. If she loses this connection, she becomes at risk of feeling overwhelmed or losing her sense of identity. By helping girls develop multiple ways to connect, they become more resilient and learn to buffer themselves from potential losses.

With International Day of the Girl approaching on October 11, the time is perfect to talk about how we can all work to develop resilience in the girls in our life.

Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from problems. It allows us to deal with life’s many challenges and to recover from trauma. Girls who lack resilience often have low self-esteem, are emotionally vulnerable and easily influenced by others, accept mistreatment, and find it difficult to cope with problems or to see that solutions are within their grasp.