Most Fridays I try to post links to interesting things I’ve found while looking around the world wide web.

As a father of three daughters, I’m becoming more and more aware of how our society often undermines their confidence — especially as they reach their teen years. It seems as if several large companies have recently begun using their platform to promote a healthy kind of female empowerment. My current favorite involves this video shot by documentary film maker Lauren Greenfield.

If you know a young woman who needs a little inspiration — or if you know a young man who needs to know how physically capable women can be — show them this video of Kacy Catanzaro completing the obstacle course on American Ninja Warrior.

There’s an old, familiar expression that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Sadly, we don’t often experience that kind of community anymore — especially those of us who inhabit American suburbia. Author Bunmi Laditan expresses the longing for a village and offers an idea that might help move us in that direction again.

It comes as no surprise that being the parent of a teenager is hard work. This week, my second daughter turned 13, so now I have two of them living in my house. Lisa Damour offers us a great word picture here — parents are like the wall of a swimming pool — teenagers want to swim, but they can only get out into the water by pushing off from the wall.

Finally, Alisa Schindler gives us a glimpse into how she has managed to ruin her sons. Perhaps because of her own honest confession (“I reveled in having them need me so much. I over-coddled. I trained them to do nothing.”) we can re-examine some of our own motives and re-assess how we might better prepare our kids for life on their own.