By John Johnston
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Chandra Mathews-Smith

It seems like a simple concept: Encourage girls to reach their full potential. But parents and society at-large still often cling to stereotypes that limit girls' success later in life, Chandra Mathews-Smith says.

"Men are raised to take risks, to be go-getters, to be the providers. (But) we kind of box our girls in while we give our boys free reign to do their thing. I think as parents we are still passing on a tradition that is no longer relevant for today's society," says Mathews-Smith, vice president of program services for Beech Acres, a family services agency in Anderson Township.

"In the 21st century, we have to encourage our daughters to find their own voice."

Mathews-Smith will be one of more than a dozen presenters at Saturday's fifth annual For the Love of Kids - a Conference on Practical Parenting, presented by Beech Acres. Her talk is titled "Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice: Specific advice for raising daughters."

With four children - ages 2 to 17, all girls - Mathews-Smith and her husband, Bernard Smith, have practical experience raising daughters. Mathews-Smith is a biological mom, a foster mom, an adoptive mom and a stepmom.

"The most important thing I'm going to tell parents is, look at the strengths of your child. We often look at everything that's wrong. Look at what your daughter brings to the table that is a real strength for her."

Growing up, Mathews-Smith says she was good at math. But she was discouraged from going into a technical field. That still happens today, she says.

"You would think that with all the techno-savvy teens, we would be pushing our girls to go into computers and technical fields."

Once a child's strengths have been identified, it's important to affirm and encourage the child. "When we affirm and encourage them, we don't put them in a box."

Ruth Peters will deliver the morning keynote address, titled "Raising Responsible Kids: How to Parent Effectively, Kindly and Compassionately." Peters has written parenting books and is a contributor to NBC's Today.

Mary LoVerde will give the lunchtime keynote, titled "Stop Screaming at the Microwave: How to Connect Your Disconnected Life." She is a professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

The third national speaker is John Powers, an Emmy-winner for his work in educational television. His talk: "I Like Being Me: Parenting Tips to Build Up Your Child's Self-esteem."

Other workshops:

• Boys Will Be Boys: Raising the Next Generation of Men, by Gary L. Dick.

• Effective Discipline: Setting Fair Rules for Good Behaviors that Will Last a Lifetime, by Ruth Peters.

• Moms Matter Too: Taking Care of Yourself So You Can Take Care of Your Family, by Denise Davis.

• Raising Teens: It's Never Too Late to Influence Your Teen's Life, by Michael D. Hall.

• He Hit Me First! Practical Tips for Managing and Reducing Sibling Rivalry, by Gayle Holten.

• Shared Reading: When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, by Chris Kelley.

• Peer Pressure: Helping your Child Survive the Social Jungle, by Joyce Moore.

• Responsible Men, Responsible Fathers: Prioritizing Your Special Role as Dad, by James L. Jordan.

• Infants and Toddlers: Understanding Your Young Child's Temperament, by Lisa Ogden Bracken and Paige Griffin.

• I Used to Have a Handle on Life, but It Broke: Power Solutions For Parents with Too Much to Do, by Mary LoVerde.

• It's Raining Again: Teaching Your Kids to Deal with Life's Disappointments, by Laura M. Stanton.

E-mail jjohnston@enquirer.com