Douglas Bell

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Women’s History Month

Did you know March is Women's History Month? As I look for more opportunities to show allyship and compassion, I become aware of moments like Women's History Month. Additionally, the importance of Women's History Month makes me think of our seven-year-old granddaughter, Bella, who spent last Saturday night with us.

I had everything planned out. I bought sidewalk chalk, paint by numbers, ingredients to bake sugar cookies and homemade hamburgers on the grill, and popcorn later that night for watching movies. 

Within the past year, I purchased her a monthly STEM subscription. Sunday morning, I cooked pancakes; I asked Bella about her latest STEM project while we ate. She asked me why I wanted her to do those projects. I paused before replying. Then I realized I never explained why I asked her to do this extracurricular stuff.

I've learned throughout my years that most of us never envision what is possible until we see it for ourselves. I explained how important it is that Bella is aware that girls are equally considered as scientists or engineers as boys. I believe that starts with being comfortable with math or building things from scratch. We never know what we can do until we try it ourselves. As she gets older, Bella will begin to see what she is capable of doing through her knowledge of herself. 

Looking back on that time with Bella, I wished I had gone a step further to pull up a few websites that dig deeper into why this is important and who are all the women who have made a difference in women's lives.