Raising Girls: Why Girls Are Different - And How to Help Them Grow Up Happy and Confident. Gisela Preuschoff [Paperback]

Gisela Preuschoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

With contributions and foreword by Steve Biddulph, author of the groundbreaking Raising Boys, the book explores girls' emotional and physical development from ages 1 to 16 years old. A warm and inspiring read for parents. Every parent of girls aged between 1 and 16 will enjoy reading this informative and practical book. Steve Biddulph, author of the renowned bestseller Raising Boys, has contributed to the book and called it 'The best book on parenting girls I've ever seen.' It focuses on girls' emotional and physical development, their education, social conditioning and their relationship with parents and siblings. Psychologist and parenting author Gisela Preuschoff covers everything you need to know about girls from birth to teenage years, in this easy to follow guide which includes examples from real families. The book includes: - how girls and boys differ in behaviour and emotions - nurturing a girl's self-esteem and reducing fears - breaking out of the 'helpless girl' syndrome - how society conditions girls -- avoiding gender stereotypes in toys etc - girls' experiences at preschool, single sex or co-ed - girls and maths and sciences -- and how parents can encourage their daughters - teen issues and puberty - the importance of a father's relationship with his daughter

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The book has much that stirs up your thinking ! We've made progress with girls, but as this excellent book points out, we still have a long way to go.' STEVE BIDDULPH 'Read it, even if you have boys.' Pru Goward, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

From the Publisher

Written in a conversational tone with a dynamic, easy-to-read design, RAISING GIRLS addresses the emotional, physical, and behavioral issues that are particular to daughters.

Parents learn how to help their daughters cope with fear, avoid social and academic stereotyping, counter the negative messages girls receive about their place in society, and foster self-reliance and self-esteem that will help them find positive relationships. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thorsons Publishers (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000720485X
• ISBN-13: 978-0007204854
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,486,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Raising Girls, June 23, 2007

By 

Intrepidflame "bz" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raising Girls: Why Girls Are Different--and How to Help Them Grow up Happy and Strong (Paperback)

For as long as I can remember I have wanted a daughter. I strongly believe that raising young girls to be independent, confident, and emotionally healthy woman is an integral part in forming a better functioning society. The world is riddle with misogynist, patriarchal cultures that need a shot of girl power, and I don't mean the cute phrase tossed around my advertising companies, but a more serious socio-political idea that woman need to play a much larger role in the state of the world, if we have any chance of salvaging a deteriorating civilization.

As a middle school teacher, I am realizing that teachers play a colossal role in shaping not only how girls see themselves in an ever changing world, but we can help young boys break their culturally ingrained preconceptions of what it means to be female. But I am getting off topic, because while I may be able to inspire, teach, and help the girls in my class become more free thinking woman, I have the most influence on my own daughter. That is why I feel that reading up on as much literature as I can, will help me become a better dad.

Having said that all that, Raising Girls is a pretty common sense book. She is not really saying anything that most people don't already know. Her main point, a factor I feel is crucial no matter what the sex of a child, is that self-confidence is vital for developing healthy adults.

What was helpful to be about this book, was that she asks both parents to constantly examine their own values and ideas of what women should be like in society. From Barbie to Tom Boys, the author is continually asking parents to be aware of how society influences young girls, and she reminds us that we as parents are part of society as well, and thus must be aware of our own expectations for our daughters. She states that everything we do will somehow influence their identity in the future, from how we dress them, to the things we think they can and cannot do, should or shouldn't do.

Another aspect of the book I found helpful was the fact that she reminds the reader that each child is a unique individual and no matter what influence a parents may have or like to have, we must study the child and find out who she is. Then it is our job to try and help her fully become the person she was meant to be, and not some forced version of the type of woman we would like her to be. This is obviously also important in the classroom.

She says, The better you know yourself and understand your own anxieties, feelings and desires, the less likely you are to force your on children into a rigid mold or transfer your biases and anxieties onto them.

Easier said then done! There is an extensive list of ideas and questions that she asks parents to ask themselves about how the role of gender affected their own childhood, but I will leave that for another time. I would just like to say that although at first glance this book may only seem appropriate or necessary to parents raising girls, it could also offer some insight for teachers, or any body else working with young woman. At the end of the day, it could prove to be beneficial for any man trying to figure out what makes woman tick!

In conclusion, the book is a little on the touchy-feely side, but in a good way. I agree with most of what the author is trying to say:

In order to really find out what your child needs, just observe her, be attentive but not intrusive and offer her a wide variety of experiences.

I think I can handle that.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not worth the money, December 12, 2007

By 

J. Quick "Jennifer - mom" (Greater Vancouver BC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Raising Girls: Why Girls Are Different--and How to Help Them Grow up Happy and Strong (Paperback)

This book is so general and basic, if you have the slightest awareness of phsychology and childhood then you could have written this book. Sections are short and light in value. Summary: daughters look to their mothers as a role model and fathers influence a daughter's future relationships.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book., March 14, 2010

By 

Sarah B. Bradley - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Raising Girls: Why Girls Are Different-and How to Help Them Grow Up Happy and Strong (Paperback)

Having first a son and plenty of books written on boys, I needed a good basic book on girls. This is that book. I love it.