The Wise Novelist

Marissa’s Banez’s TV Debut – Raising Daughters – Strong Women Rock

Okay, this is a whole new superpower, getting to post videos like this.

This is the recording of Marissa’s TV debut on the longest running Philippino-American television station in the NY-Metropolitan area. Love the discussion concerning mothers and daughters, and the hosts and guests different tricks in raising successful daughters in the modern age. It is a dangerous world out there. Interesting use of Apps – modern technology is a wonderful thing. Well done ladies. Well done Marissa.

No matter what your culture, if you are raising children, I recommend giving this video a look.

I strongly recommend Marissa’s book.

While I miss those Hallmark moments, I’m happy that parenting is now behind me. You only get one shot and it’s a lot of work.

Personally, I have only one daughter, Jaclyn, and luckily for me she was a multi-sport, competetive athlete from an early age, which kept her extremely busy right through her life as a multi-sport D1 athlete in college. That didn’t come from me. My wife was a competitive athlete in school and later a Marathon runner.

And from the earliest age my daughter competed head on with her alpha male brothers. And then with every other male afterwards that entered her spheres of influence. She never backed down, even as a black belt in the dojo. I strongly recommend martial arts training for all children.

She whipped the asses of a few of her grammar school male bullies along the way.

This life taught my daughter the value of time management, and healthy competition. It prepared her to succeed in a male dominated world. She is now killing it in the business world. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up running a Fortune 100 company.

And we weren’t strict at all. She had a lot of freedom. She traveled on her free time, socialized as she wanted, dated whom she wanted. She basically made those decisions. She also has a sophistication I still don’t have, from the influences of my sisters Veronica (blood) and “b” love (they are the role models for Bonnie and T in TCT), who made sure my daughter traveled internationally on her vacations and school breaks. They also took her to museums, the ballet and the theater. Finally, they taught her the value of a perfect set of pearls.

But Jackie took her responsibilities to her teams, her teammates and her schools seriously. She was the captain of most of those teams, and she led by example. She has carried that skill-set into her professional life.

And that didn’t require her to sacrifice any of her other qualities. She is beautiful (again from her mother) and dresses like a Vogue cover model. But no one else dictates her looks or style.

She is now raising my equally talented grandson, Lucian (yes, the basis for the TCT character). And her equally competitive man, Zach Gilbert, also appears as a character in FJM.

Anyone who has read TCT knows that all of the female characters, even Claire, are bad ass. They are involved in every major decision, speak their minds, and take no prisoners. Indeed, the alien world – Proxima b – is ruled by a female. Jimmy Moran is just along for the ride.

I will undoubtedly fashion my idea for the adult Stella character in Where The Ley Lines Meet around my daughter.

Real men are not threatened by strong women. Indeed, I know this sounds selfish, but my world has been a far better place because of all of the strong women in my life. My grandmothers, Posie and Bridie, were extremely strong women. My mother was strong, and my sister still is. Throughout my life, I’ve only been attracted to strong women. Anyone who has met my wife, Lisa, knows what I’m talking about. The character, Gina, couldn’t hold a candle to her.

My Irish Clan has always been matriarchal. Veronica now leads it.

Indeed, despite being a young man’s coming-of-age story, and it is every bit that, there are no weak women in Finding Jimmy Moran. Women rock!

So, to anyone out there that is still raising their kids, if you have daughters, raise them to be the leaders they can be. Then get out of the way. Our world will be a far better place.

And now I need to get off my soap box and face another day.

But first, a kitty cuddle, my rounds and then some torture.

It’s nice to be able to blog again.

You fine, five readers go out there and enjoy your Friday.

The weekend awaits.

But make today a great one.

5 Responses

  1. OMG! I love today’s blog. Not only because I know your family and I know every female in your family is as strong as you say but I will share this blog with my own family and friends. To encourage every one to raise their daughters to be all they can be! I wouldn’t be able to find the words but you always do. We’ve all heard “behind every successful man there is a strong woman” and that’s how we should raise them and encourage them to be, to take on life’s many challenges.

  2. Don’t forget that I spent a lot of my formative years among the Collins girls, and there wasn’t a weak one in the bunch.

  3. Love this blog! My oldest daughter was a third degree blank belt. She is stubbornly independent! My trips were in Taekwondo too when they were little. I strongly believe martial arts builds physical, mental and emotional strength . Your daughter sounds like someone I would tell my daughters to aspire to be like!!

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