you've obviously tried hard to let your daughter know that she can be anything she wants to be.  i am so sorry that somehow she's picked up this message.

thanks for sharing. i know that wasn't easy.

comes the impact of our culture.

Don't feel badly. She is merely reflecting messages that come from our culture. They are subtle but can have a deep impact.

Our daughter at even a few years older proclaimed "Women don't drive. Men drive cars." That was after multiple years of me as an at-home mom, and later as almost the sole parent while my husband attended graduate school (5 years) while he was working full time. And she tells me, the taxi mom, that women don't drive! Seems minor but is reflective of stereotyped gender roles, which she sure didn't pick up at home.

Take heart. She's only 5. She's clearly very bright. You're an attentive parent. It will all work out. And tell her that we need good people just like her to run for and become president.

BTW, if you want a very positive story about just how important parental input can be and what a deep impact it can have, e-mail me (in my profile).

Keep on with that good parenting, wclathe.

Kids these days.