I picked up this book as the mom of a 9 almost 10 year old daughter thinking oh, I want to have those important talks with my girl so let me find out what they are.
5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter
by Vicki Courtney
B&H Books
November 2008
This book is not a cheerleader book. There really isn’t a sense of Rah, Rah, fun and wonderful talk time in my opinion. Mrs. Courtney doesn’t pull any punches in the details she shares. She is direct and gives the reality without any “Christianese”. That’s not to say she doesn’t bring out God’s truths or discuss faith in troubled situations.
There were several very impactful statements and ideas for me. Conversation 1 is teaching or sharing with our daughters that they are more than the sum of their parts! In a society that places such emphasis on the outward appearance and gives the impression that this is what a girls worth is, we must teach out daughters the falseness of this – using/following God’s standards. This is definitely a swimming upstream pursuit. Through the print media, billboards, movies, television, and music our daughters are subtly and not so subtly given the message that they need to change their bodies to be accepted; that they are objects for men to ogle. With the rise in eating disorders and girls having plastic surgery, we MUST be diligent to share what true beauty is in the eyes of God.
Other issues she brings out are not being in too much of a hurry to grow up, and who are our children hanging out with. “The type of friends your daughter chooses or gravitates toward can speak volumes about her developing identity.”
There is some not-so-encouraging information on teen pregnancy even among our Christian girls provided, I have to say it made me a little sick to my stomach to read some of the data but forearmed is forewarned. Also, I wouldn’t leave the book out where your daughter can pick it up to read, especially if she is younger than say 13, in my opinion some details and verbiage is more for an adult.
These conversations are ones you would probably have had at some point but Mrs. Courtney’s book gives you lots to think about and much information to bring to the table. I found it insightful and appreciative of the information at my fingertips.
