Dear Kid,

Happy, happy me.

Three huge cheers for the Arizona Cardinals (who might now be my second favorite Football team) for hiring the first female coach in the NFL.

They have hired Dr. Jen Welter, whose only flaw seems to be that she went to the wrong college in Boston.

Know this: she can kick your butt—in a lot of ways. She played rugby at that unmentionable school, played pro football for 14 seasons, and was a running back for indoor football. Yes, the boys’ team.

In the article My Friend the Internet shared with me, she was quoted as saying, “I want little girls everywhere to grow up knowing they can do anything, even play football.”

As the mom of a girl who played football, that’s not what I want. I want men everywhere to know that girls can do anything, even play football. I want boys and girls to know that which restroom you use is not what defines you—it only defines what gossip you are privy to.

I also want boys and girls to know that football players don’t have to be stupid (although in high school it seems to help—you knew I couldn’t resist). This woman has a masters and a PhD. She is athletic, she is feisty, she is willing to break barriers (the social and mental kinds), and she is smart.

Being smart is cool. Being successful is cool.

Going to the Other College Down the Street is not, but at least she didn’t play ice hockey.

According to the aforementioned article, the football players are ready to get to work with her. Three cheers for them for being smart enough to recognize talent.

So to @jwelter47 from all of us who at one time or another have been the only woman in the room: Best of Everything. We’re standing there with you and can’t wait to see the great things you accomplish.

And to the leadership and players of the Cardinals @AZCardinals: Congrats on being smart. Wishing you a great season. Please don’t beat the Bengals.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

I played soccer yesterday. And I was awesome.

Now before you begin thinking up snarky responses, let me clarify.

Pi, Dad, and I went to the soccer field yesterday. Pi wanted to practice tricky moves and needed two live bodies to practice around. Guess who provided one of the bodies.

Turns out I am a natural for standing where I’m told to stand on a soccer field.

Seriously, you would have been crazy impressed.

I even managed to get the ball away from her. Once.

I celebrated. Dad and Pi laughed. I did not get a yellow card for excessive celebration.

Then I was promoted to ball-kicker. It was my job to kick the ball to Pi and her job to get it around Dad.

Once again, I executed my athletic duties with accuracy, timeliness, and amazing modesty.

Finally, it was my job to throw the ball in the vicinity of Pi’s feet. I say vicinity since there was a lack of clarity on the part of the direction-giver. But I finally got the hang of it. And then Pi kicked the ball in Dad’s face.

Fortunately, she didn’t kick it hard, so there were no emergency room runs.

I plan to announce my retirement from soccer later today amid great fanfare, a major press conference, and sobs from Pi. At least when she isn’t laughing at me.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

As you probably know, I love when people do things that are unexpected. And I love when people do things Society expects them not to do.

Like being the only girl on the Varsity football team.

So I was quite excited when Jennifer Birch suggested writing a guest blog on using Twitter (yes, I love Twitter too!) to help empower girls. And without further ado, here are Jennifer’s thoughts.

How can a tweet empower young females?

Social media has become an extension of our personal lives.

Although deemed to be detrimental to children and to teens, it has its share of benefits to them, especially to young females.

Based on data by BeeVolve, Twitter users aged 15-25 have the largest share of usage on Twitter (73.7%). In a separate set of data by the research company, it showed that Twitter users are mostly females (53%).

Since young women highly dominate this platform, why not use it to empower the young ladies of today? We want to show you just how powerful Twitter can be in bringing out the #ActiveGirls in this demographic.

#ShowYourWorth
With varied topics to choose from, you can join any discussion by sharing your opinions online via your personal accounts and using a relevant hashtag (#). However, it’s best to avoid being rude online as it can lead to cyberbullying. Consider providing non-biased insights with supporting facts and figures.

If joining online discussions doesn’t interest you, then maybe you can show your value by inspiring other young ladies by sharing your adventures in life, such as your last trip, your latest projects, or anything that presents and empowers you.

#NoToStereotype
One of the positive effects of Twitter is casting stereotypes of the past aside. Through Twitter, women are able to showcase their talents and skills freely and whilst being supported by other women online, who also share the same passion.

Many advocates are now extending their assistance to diminish the never-ending gender-biases of our society. An example is Kate Pietrasik in the United Kingdom, and her advocacy to spread neutral parenting through unisex clothing. Personally maintaining the Twitter account of her clothing line Tootsa MacGinty (@TootsaMacGinty), she shares her point about destroying gender stereotypes not only in clothing but in our decisions in life. In one of her posts, she retweeted @FeministPics that shows a 1967 clipping of The New York Times with a quote “I think it’s time to change the rules. The rules are archaic. Women can run.”

#TechieGirl
Among the most prevalent hashtags on the platform that empowers young ladies is #TechieGirl. By using the platform’s search box, you can view everyone who has used this hashtag while sharing their own #TechieGirl experiences. Previously dominated by men, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) industry has seen many changes recently as more women are now freely able to present their interest on the matter. An inspirational figure in this sector is Joanne Bryant (@joannebryantsf), an insurance business owner in California who admits to being “socially & technology savvy.” Her tweet on January 8, 2015 shows a picture of her while spending her 40th birthday at the CES 2015, which she calls the “happiest place on earth.”

So, if you are still feeling unsure on how to empower yourself, then start searching on Twitter. You will be able to find that there’s more you can do to show the world that you’re a #TrueActiveGirl.

About the Author

Jennifer Birch is an inspiration to her thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter (even on her blog). Following various personalities online, she loves to share her thoughts about empowering young ladies to show their special skills and knowledge. Jenni retweets many of the posts of the most influential women on Twitter such as Padmasree Warrior of Cisco and Kate Pietrsik of Tootsa MacGinty She remains to inspire #ActiveGirls around the world to be free, active, and fun-loving.

Thanks Jennifer!

Have a great day, kid. Look for ways to inspire people.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Last night was the Super Bowl (just in case you weren’t sure). And being the kind of mom I am, I am thoughtfully providing you an Entirely Accurate Replay of the evening. You’re welcome.

Starting at 5pm, we began to learn about the Super Bowl (the commentators began talking a lot earlier, but that’s when we tuned in). Turns out there are a lot of players, all of whom might be the Most Important Player of the Game. Or might not.

Looks like there’s a great pregame show on the field of which we see 14 pixels worth. There appear to be lots of cheerleaders in teeny tiny costumes. Have you noticed that all professional cheerleader outfits look about the same these days?

We meet Davis Thomas, the Walter Payton Football Player of the Year. Players on the sidelines look bored.

John Legend sings America. O, Beautifully.

Idina Menzel sang the National Anthem. Beautifully. To absolutely no one’s surprise. (Every girl between 3 and 12 in the country goes nuts. To absolutely no one’s surprise.) Her jewelry is to die for. The Thunderbirds rock the sky.

Booker looks annoyed that I won’t share my dinner with him.

Chevy shows a great commercial about the impact of advertising. (OK, they think it’s about a truck, but it’s really about the impact of advertising.)

Booker takes himself off for a nap on his pillow since I won’t feed him my dinner.

According to the announcer, it takes a “small village” to get the coin toss done. About 4,000 people go out on the field to make sure gravity still takes the coin to the turf. Tails and Seattle wins the toss.

You’d think that could mean the game would start. You’d be wrong. Instead, we get some more interviews and repeats of injury updates. I felt very knowledgeable knowing what a torn labrum is. Until I realized that the reason I know that is because Pi had surgery on hers.

Six hours later, Seattle kicks. So far, no surprises.

Patriots get a first down, then have to punt. Running into the kicker. But they decline the penalty and Seattle gets the ball. But only for three plays. It’s a game of punters.

Booker looks fed up that no one is sharing seconds with him and goes back to his pillow.

Oh, look. A first down. And a couple more. And the Patriots are about to score when the Seahawks intercept the ball at the goal line, what WHAT? Commentators can’t believe Brady made a mistake. They are, I believe, befuddled.

And there’s a MINION commercial. I’m so happy! Followed by a cute Brady Bunch Snickers commercial.

The first quarter is over. Holy Super Bowl that was a fast fifteen minutes of football.

We have the exact same percentage of salt in our blood as there is in the ocean. (I did not know that.) And then there’s a great commercial about arm wrestling for Skittles.

Clydesdales and puppy. I almost cried. Turns out Mindy in the Verizon commercial is not invisible. And Arnold is back in the movies.

More football. And New England scores. In case you’ve lost track it’s been more than 5 minutes into the second quarter. 7:0 Patriots.

Fantastic Coke commercial. #MakeItHappy

And the First Draft Ever. Adorable.

I’m having trouble keeping up with the commercials.

Dad puts food from dinner away. Booker comes out to investigate. Still annoyed that no one is sharing with him. Speaking of Dad, there have been several Dad commercials. So far, no big winners.

Finally, a spectacular catch and with slightly more than 2 minutes left in the half, the Seahawks tie up the game amid something that looks a little like a hockey game. Keep your helmets on, dudes.

Then McDonald’s hits a home run (sorry about mixing sports metaphors) with a commercial about paying with love. Three points for the mom who tells her son she loves his compassion for other people.

And the two minute warning. Commercials lead Dad to say he wants a goat for his birthday.

With :31 to go in the half, the Patriots score. 14:7. With :06 there is a Big Decision to Make. Seahawks have the ball on the 11 yard line. To kick or not to kick, that is the question. The answer? Call a bunch of time outs. Then throw for a TOUCHDOWN! The commentators go crazy. Seahawks make a crazy decision and benefit from it (they will not repeat the benefit part at the end of the second half.)

And we go to halftime tied at 14.

Excellent commercial about helping a victim of domestic violence. There have been a number of commercials about treating people well, or featuring alternately-abled people (these folks are definitely not disabled). There was one about neutering cats. Very interesting.

The half time show starts with a Pepsi commercial. Whatev.

Katy Perry put on an awesome show with four costume changes. From the start where she rode a huge animated tiger to the end where she flew around. Still poised and singing. She has what the cat doesn’t. Fan-freakin’-tastic. Even though she didn’t sing Hot and Cold. So far she has the clear advantage in the game.

Boring commercials lead into the second half. The experts weigh in and still don’t have a clue who is going to win.

Seahawks get stopped near the endzone and so they kick a FG. Seahawks in the lead.

Microsoft #empowering had a couple of great commercials about optimism in the face of reality. Dodge had a commercial featuring people at least 100 years old.

I think there’s a trend.

I forgot to tell you that the grass in the stadium is grown outside in Alabama and then flown in and planted. To the best of my knowledge, everyone except the grass itself has been interviewed.

Seahawks intercept. Flag on the play. Player down. You’d think there would be commercials while the refs figure it out, but you’d be wrong. Seattle ends up taking over around midfield and proceeds to march (Beast Mode) down the field and score a TD. Seahawks up by 10.

Pierce Brosnan pitching Kia cars. He looks old. (You should say nothing right about now.)

A non-puppy Budweiser commercial. Meh.

New England plays with properly inflated balls for a while and manages to punt it away. The commentators are having a marvelous time talking about New England mistakes. Seahawks give it a go, but have to punt.

Synchronized car parking commercial! I think it should be a new Olympic sport.

Commentators start repeating themselves. Not really a good sign.

About ten minutes left in this Super Bowl.

Brady tries for a TD. Then he tries again. Finally, he hits a receiver. PAT. And it’s 21:24.

Tortoise and the Hare race commercial. Best part is that the tortoise has a girl hare in his car. Aesop is rolling over in his grave.

Commentators are beside themselves (making the booth very crowded). They can’t decide if the Seahawks have the game wrapped up, if B&B have everything now in control, or if we’re going to OT.

Flying pig commercial for Doritos. Adorable.

Seven minutes (in regulation as the commentators keep reminding us).

Having a Madden moment—I really like that there are grass stains all over the uniforms.

New England is doing everything they can to get a TD. The commentators are talking about the ball deflation investigation. I should have kept count of the number of times they mentioned it. I didn’t. Sorry.

Patriots score! 28:24. With 2 seconds to the 2 minutes warning.

Holy moly. Seahawks throw a long pass which isn’t caught. But wait, it’s bobbled, it’s live, and it’s caught! And the Seahawks are at the 5. Down to the half yard line. And the Seahawks TD pass is intercepted at the goal line. What on earth just happened? Why would you throw that pass? That’s my question and everyone else in the world thinks the same thing. Commentators are losing their kidneys.

20 seconds left in the game. Brady can’t take a knee because he’s on the 1 inch yard line. Except the Seahawks jump off sides so NE gets to the 5 (and 1 inch) yard line. And then there is a fight. Like a serious fight. Whistles all around. It’s insane. They are going to throw enough people out of the game so that no one will be left to take the snap.

And the game eventually ends.

As Dad just pointed out, no questionable calls from the officiating crew (good job, zebras!).

There is undoubtedly going to be post game celebration, but I’ve got to get up in the morning.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Happy February! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! And Happy Groundhog Day (one day early)! Or maybe it’s Getting Ready for Groundhog Day…

That’s a lot of happy for one cold Sunday morning, and I for one plan to make the most of all this joyousness.

As you may recall, I love all things Punxsutawney Phil. I still have “Talk Dad into going to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day” on my to-do list.

I love the top hats and I love that little groundhog face and I love the hope that spring may be on its way sooner than we thought. I love the idea that Punxsutawney Phil lives forever (like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy only furrier).

Today I love the idea of a commercial with puppies and Clydesdales and Phil. I’m not holding my breath, but it would be pretty fun don’t you think?

Everyone in the land (and by “everyone in the land” I mean some people) are very busy getting ready for the Big Game. Personally, I read one column in today’s paper. Beyond that, I’m pretty sure that for me “getting ready” means making sure the Puppy’s walked and fed before game time and finding the remotes (not always the easiest thing to do in our family room).

Perhaps I should train the puppy to sniff out TV remotes. Dogs are trained to sniff out all sorts of incredible things—why not TV remotes?

In other news, today Dad discovered that Trivia Crack exists. He discovered this by reading a small article in the USA Today section of the newspaper.

Dad: Do you know about Trivia Crack?
Me: Yeah
Dad: Do you play Trivia Crack?
Me: Um, yeah.
Dad: Are you addicted to Trivia Crack?
Me: Somewhat
Dad: Really?
Puppy: Banana!

Hope you get lots of work done before you get sucked in to All Things Super.

Love, Mom