I love this! Yes, I do think our daughters should be encouraged to take up space. I also want my girls to have the same options boys do, which is why I greatly appreciated that my husband introduced them to all the same things he would have if they were boys (e.g., fishing, target shooting, basketball, golf, martial arts).

I think some of that energy that might get squashed out of girls comes from family and peers. I think back to my own mother telling me to stop playing basketball because it made me "too aggressive." I think of my eldest daughter's preschool friends who would talk about being princesses. It's hard to counter the other messages our daughters might hear despite our best efforts at home.

I hope your daughters stay "spicy" despite all the other external pressures to conform and comply with traditional gender expectations!