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My Kid's an Engineer and She Doesn't Even Know It

by Eva St. Clair November 12, 2017 3 min read 14 Comments

I take a perverse joy in watching my daughter throw tantrums.

The tears stream down her face. She lies on the ground, spreadeagled, staring up at the sky and hiccoughing in indignation. Sometimes when she gets really riled up, she’ll turn herself over, scream, and pound her little fists and feet on the floor. It makes me happy.

 

It makes me happy to know that she is about to learn to do something for herself, because that is the root cause of her unhappiness. I, her omnipotent parent, cannot (or usually will not) solve her problem. And she is REALLY mad about it.

I always say the same thing to her. “Kiddo, you can throw this big fit and then you can solve the problem, or you can just solve your problem. Which one do you want to do?”  Then I give her a nice big hug and wait with my “pleasant, expectant smile.” Usually she continues to throw her fit.  

But eventually she calms herself down. She starts thinking. She gets up. And she solves that problem.

And that’s really what it’s all about - life, that is. It’s just one problem after another, and we just need to solve them as they come. For too many centuries - millennia - women and girls have been taught that they are not capable of solving their own problems, or that their problems aren’t actually problems.

Both at Princess Awesome and GoldieBlox, we saw problems with the choices available for girls. These were problems many in the fashion and toy industries didn’t see, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. We decided to try to solve them - why not us, after all? If we can see the problems, and if we know what we want the solutions to look like, then why shouldn’t we try to solve them?

Starting a business was much harder than we ever had imagined. There were hundreds of smaller problems, some of which made me want to throw a lovely little tantrum alamy daughter, or just give up in quiet despair. A few problems really did make me cry. But we solved them, and in solving all those little problems, we began to solve the original, big problem.  

Over the last few years, I’ve learned that a solution you engineer yourself is intensely satisfying, not just in the final product but in the process too. There’s the thrill of a sudden flash of insight, the gallows humor when an idea fails spectacularly, the melancholic awe when you know you’ve created something not just serviceable, but beautiful too.

Every girl needs the problem-solving skills engineering teaches, but - just as importantly - every girl needs the ability to actualize herself as the solver of her own problems. We want girls to know: first, that their perceptions are valid and the problems they see exist. Second, that they can take ownership of those problems and solve them. Third, that the process of solving problems is joyful, rewarding, and artistic.

My daughter’s problems are small now. But when she grows up, she’ll have big problems - the problems I haven’t solved, that my generation will pass on to her and her peers. It will take many girls to find solutions to the issues of their time - but they will find them, if only we give them the skills and confidence to build a better world for themselves.  

Eva St. Clair
Eva St. Clair

Eva St. Clair is a co-founder of Princess Awesome and the company's Chief Creative Officer. She and her husband are raising four kids outside of Washington, DC.


14 Responses

Tamara
Tamara

November 23, 2017

Can’t wait to try some Princess Awesome leggings for my daughter!

corey
corey

November 21, 2017

its so cute!

Nikki Hannan
Nikki Hannan

November 20, 2017

When recently asked “who do you believe in” my daughter exclaimed “in our family we believe in science!” I was so proud of her.

Erin
Erin

November 16, 2017

I love when a friend tells me she’s having a girl — as this is my go-to gift. There’s a design for every personality. Thanks Princess Awesome!

Heather
Heather

November 15, 2017

My daughter and I love the designs!

Nicole J Anderson
Nicole J Anderson

November 15, 2017

I bought the pi infinity scarf for me. The pks are awesome and i cannot say enough good things about my GoldieBlox purchases. Its the best of both worlds for my 6 year old daughter who told her forst grade teacher that her educational goals were to be an engineer. At 6, I didn’t even know what an engineer was, except a train engineer.
Awesome products like Princess Amesome and Goldieblox make all things on the realm of possible for gorls.

Nicole J Anderson
Nicole J Anderson

November 15, 2017

I bought the pi infinity scarf for me. The pks are awesome and i cannot say enough good things about my GoldieBlox purchases. Its the best of both worlds for my 6 year old daughter who told her forst grade teacher that her educational goals were to be an engineer. At 6, I didn’t even know what an engineer was, except a train engineer.
Awesome products like Princess Amesome and Goldieblox make all things on the realm of possible for gorls.

Sara Hilmoe
Sara Hilmoe

November 14, 2017

I love these items. My daughter loves her dresses with pockets that she fills with rocks while she twirls. Thank you for your work!!

Michelle W
Michelle W

November 13, 2017

Awesome messaging. Awesome products!

Erica
Erica

November 13, 2017

Perfect pi day outfit 3/14!

Fernanda Crivici
Fernanda Crivici

November 13, 2017

Love this company!

Cozette Morstein
Cozette Morstein

November 13, 2017

Perfect for my granddaughter. Thank you

Kathleen Doroteo Tadych
Kathleen Doroteo Tadych

November 13, 2017

These are fantastic!!!

Barbara Smith
Barbara Smith

November 13, 2017

my nearly 4 yo was born on Pi Day so it has been natural for her to have learned that Pi is something special and how it works. She has a naturally mechanical mind so measuring shapes made learning what Pi means easy!

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