Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge [Paperback]

Meg Meeker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Dr. Meg Meeker issues fathers thirty days of challenges to help strengthen their relationships with their daughters.

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge is the highly anticipated follow-up companion to the national bestseller, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Dr. Meg Meeker.

The 30-Day Challenge takes readers through thirty practical father-daughter activities, meant to strengthen dads in their parenting roles, while also creating honest and thriving relationships. With twenty-five years experience as a pediatrician, Dr. Meeker combines her expertise and wisdom with warmth and humor to make this the perfect guide for dads to take the Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters experience to the next level.

The 30-Day Challenge offers practical suggestions for dads to spend uninterrupted, scheduled time with their daughters, including:

Taking her on a date, dancing, or into nature
Taking her to work or teaching her to handle money responsibly
Doing an art project or planting a garden together
Treating her mother well

Reflection questions help readers examine where they are as a dad right now and where they would like to be this time next year. Checklists with important reminders help the reader commit to following through and adequately preparing for the challenges. Challenges can be adapted from the simple to the involved, depending on time availability, comfort levels, and the daughter's age.

Unlike other parenting how-to books, The 30-Day Challenge becomes a cherished handbook as dads and their girls evolve in their father and daughter roles. The 30-Day Challenge will equip dads to answer the call to become engaged and intentional fathers.

"Both my girls were practically grown and gone the first time I discovered Meg Meeker s Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, but it still had a huge impact on how I talk to and relate with them. Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge is the book I wish someone had given me the day my first daughter was born!"

-Dave Ramsey, New York Times bestselling author, nationally syndicated radio show host, and father of two daughters

"Meg Meeker radically changed the way I look at parenting and fatherhood. There is joy, wisdom, and truth in everything she writes, and I will be the first in line to buy each new book she shares with the world."

-Jon Acuff, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job and father of two daughters

"Raising four daughters while playing professional football was very demanding. Dr. Meeker is oh-so-accurate when she points out just how observant and impressionable young girls can be! Her work always inspires me to do a better job, and The 30-Day Challenge is filled with lots of good ideas. Thanks, Meg!"

-Chris Godfrey, father of six, member of New York Giants Super Bowl XXI Championship Team, estate planning attorney and president of Life Athletes

"Dads need help, particularly when it comes to building bonds with their daughters. Dr. Meeker's wise, practical book offers fathers activities they can do today to establish a relationship with their daughters that will extend far into the future. Get this book now and spare your family and your daughter the mistakes that so many men have made in the past."

-Raymond Arroyo, New York Times bestselling author, Host of EWTN's The World Over

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Meg Meeker is a popular speaker on pediatric health issues and child-parent relationships, having appeared on numerous national television and radio shows. She has authored five books. Married to Walter for 30 years, Dr. Meeker has three daughters and one son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: The A Group (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983662029
• ISBN-13: 978-0983662020
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Fatherhood

More About the Author

Meg Meeker, M.D., has spent more than twenty years practicing pediatric and adolescent medicine and counseling teens and parents. Dr. Meeker is a fellow of the National Advisory Board of the Medical Institute, and the author of several books, including the national bestseller, STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS; THE 10 HABITS OF HAPPY MOTHERS; and BOYS SHOULD BE BOYS. In 2012, Dr. Meeker released STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS: THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE, the highly-anticipated follow-up to the original bestselling title.

A popular speaker on pediatric health issues and child-parent relationships, she is a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio and television programs. She lives and works in Traverse City, Michigan, where she shares a medical practice with her husband, Walter. They have three daughters and one son.

PRAISE FOR STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS: THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE

"Both my girls were practically grown and gone the first time I discovered Meg Meeker's STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS, but it still had a huge impact on how I talk to and relate with them. STRONG FATHERS, STRONG DAUGHTERS: THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE is the book I wish someone had given me the day my first daughter was born! "
-Dave Ramsey, New York Times bestselling author, nationally syndicated radio show host, and father of two daughters

"Meg Meeker radically changed the way I look at parenting and fatherhood. There is joy, wisdom, and truth in everything she writes, and I will be the first in line to buy each new book she shares with the world."
--Jon Acuff, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job and father of two daughters

"Raising four daughters while playing professional football was very demanding. Dr. Meeker is oh-so-accurate when she points out just how observant and impressionable young girls can be! Her work always inspires me to do a better job, and THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE is filled with lots of good ideas. Thanks, Meg!"
--Chris Godfrey, father of six, member of New York Giants Super Bowl XXI Championship Team, estate planning attorney and president of Life Athletes

"Dads need help, particularly when it comes to building bonds with their daughters. Dr. Meeker's wise, practical book offers fathers activities they can do today to establish a relationship with their daughters that will extend far into the future. Get this book now and spare your family and your daughter the mistakes that so many men have made in the past."
--Raymond Arroyo, New York Times bestselling author, host of EWTN's The World Over

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing "textbook" from Dr. Meeker June 11, 2012

By Aaron

Format:Paperback

When Dr. Meeker's original book came out, I was elated. Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters is a gem. Dr. Meeker's 30-day challenge is the practical component that helps fathers apply the principles she outlines in her original work. Until you read the 30-day challenge, you didn't know you needed it. But on reading, you are so thankful that Dr. Meeker wrote the 30-day challenge to implement her original principles.

This book provides important reminders of the overall principles and enhances your understanding of them at the same time. Through her practical suggestions, Dr. Meeker gives fathers countless ideas of things to do to build their relationships with their daughters. Whether it is suggesting you make time for a date, or explaining how your daughter understands your comments about her appearance or intellect. Each of Dr. Meeker's suggestions give you practical food for thought in building your relationship with your daughter.

Dr. Meeker's consistent suggestion is to "Put it on your calendar." So often our best plans get lost in the shuffle of daily life. Daughters do not need "quality time," they simply need time with their fathers. And whether you are cooking together (Day 14) or praying with your daughter (Day 24), you need to make space in your life and your mind to devote to your daughter. So put it on your calendar.

This book makes the perfect Father's Day present, along with Dr. Meeker's first volume. Combining the theoretical with the practical is essential to understanding your daughter and improving your relationship with her. Even if you have a wonderful relationship, Dr. Meeker's practical tips will give you ways to keep your relationship strong. Whatever your relationship, and whatever your daughter's age, this book is a treasury of good tips and timeless wisdom.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Every Dad with A Daughter June 11, 2012

By Dale Sadler

Format:Paperback

Why does a female MD write a book that helps males be better dads for their daughters? Because she believes we have a lot to offer them, things that can make them great women someday. This goes against our culture's notion that men can't possibly understand their daughters. Unfortunately, men believe this and consequently take themselves out of their daughters' lives in one-way or another. Meeker is helping to remedy this.

In Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge, author Meg Meeker helps men see the God given abilities that can help them be an extremely important part of their daughters' lives. Dads show their daughters what men are, who God is, and how the world doesn't wants what's best for them; only dad and mom do.

The book covers the same topics as her original work, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know. 1) You are the most important man in her life. 2) She needs a hero. 3) You are her first love. 4) Teach her humility. 5) Protect and Defend her. 6) Pragmatism and Grit, Two of Your Greatest Assets 7) Be the man you want her to marry. 8) Teach her who God is. 9) Teach her to fight. 10) Keep her connected. She recommends reading certain chapters in this book. However, even if you don't buy the 10 Secrets book, you get a lot of information from the Challenge book. This latter edition is particularly good for men who don't have a habit of reading. Any man, if he cares to know more about his daughter, will read the thirty chapters, each of which are no more than four pages long.

Each chapter will help you grow as a man, and you will see that this is important because your daughter will someday marry someone like you. As Meeker says, "Women gravitate towards the familiar." At the end of each chapter is a challenge engineered to help dads authentically engage with their daughters. Doing this can be awkward for dads but through Meeker's coaching, any dad can do it. I wouldn't recommend doing each activity one day after another. This will seem fake. However, a well-planned activity based on Meeker's suggestions will do wonders for your relationship with your daughter. Furthermore, some activities are appropriate for younger girls while others are more for older ones. One of Meeker's last directives is to put the book up for a while when you're done, and refer back to it from time-to-time. I agree.

Meeker discusses men's natural strengths without apology and identifies how they counteract the weaknesses of women. While this will enrage some feminists, it also allows her to speak directly to the heart of the dads reading, encouraging them to "man-up." Too many dads sit on their thumbs, and remember, it's a book for dads, not moms. Meeker's frank authorship and knowledge of the worries and fears of today's dads make this book a must-read for every man who wants to do his best for his family.

Think you can't reach your daughter? Whether you only see her on the weekends or every single night, Meeker's thoughts can help guide you to a better relationship with your little girl so you can shape her into a woman who will make you proud.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars If only... August 9, 2012

By Michael Steelman MD

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If only I had read this book before my daughter grew up, married and had a daughter of her own...! Still, it gave great insights into being a good father to your daughter and what she really needs (in spite of the eye rolling). I do believe the book gave me information and practical advice that I can use to improve my relationship to my daughter, even though she is now grown, married and a mother.

Incidentally, I bought a copy to give to my son-in-law to help guide him on the journey with my 4 year old granddaughter.