Celebrating female role models

Sunday was Mother's Day and hopefully you were all able to thank your special mother figure in your life.

The Children's Workshop explained why it is important to celebrate female role models all year long.

Over time, gender roles have changed.

"Both parents in many households are working full time jobs and they are also parenting their kids on a full time basis. This sets a good example for their children there are not certain tasks that moms do and there are not certain tasks dads do. We all contribute to the family in an equal way." says Heather Grocott of The Children's Workshop.

For many women, balancing a career and a family can be difficult.

"I think the first thing to think about is not your family or career, but yourself."

Figure out what you enjoy doing.

"If you can make yourself happy and at a peaceful point in your life, I think it's a lot easier to balance work and family," said Grocott.

And invest time to doing what you love.

"If you're a working mom, you want to go to work everyday, you want to feel good you want to look forward to in your day just as much as your look forward to your drive home to be with your family."

You can be a role model in a child's life.

"A role model is someone who does their best to always try makes a decision regardless of what the circumstance may be. There is the old saying you always want to practice what you preach. And when I see that I say that's what a role model is."

Female role models are influential to all children, especially young girls.

"Children are really starting to realize just because I am a female it doesn't hold me back from what I want to do or what I love or what I believe in."

It's important to young males as well.

"The role of females is important that they respect females, that females can be successful, they can have great jobs, they are responsible as well as the male role models in their life. I think that's extremely important."

Parents and educators should teach young children about positive female role models by learning about successful women children may be encouraged to work towards their goals and future careers.