If you are a parent to a girl of any age this is one of the best books I
have ever read. My daughter is 9 nearly 10 and beginning to face the
power of peer pressure to be whatever society means by being a girl
which to my insinct has always been too much too young. Biddulph sees
exactly the same trend and he renewed my hope in this book that I can
raise a strong young woman who knows her own mind and does not believe
what the media say she should be.
The book is divided into three parts
The
first covers the five stages of girlhood: an overview, birth-2 years,
2-5 years, 5-10 years, 10-14 years and 14-18 years. In each chapter he
covers the physcial, psychological and developmental changes a girl is
undergoing at these ages and the challenges they face. And for girls it
is social challenges that are of the most vital importance. It doesn't
matter if, like me, you are coming in at some point along the spectrum,
I found it useful to read the earlier chapters and understand what
challenges my girl had already faced.
Part two is about risk
areas and how to help girls navigate them: sexualisation at too early an
age, bullying, body image and food, drugs including alcohol, and online
risks. Biddulph lays out the risk in a clear concise way and empowers
parents to address them.
Part three is about girls and their
parents, taking a clear eyed look at the nature of a girl's relationship
with her mother and father and what we can do as parents in these
roles.
Just brilliant, one of the few library books that I will be buying and reading over and over again.
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