Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 56
 Yay! I'm the First Review April 22, 2010
s'wonderful s'marvelous (Mountain Home AFB, ID)
48 out of 61 found this review helpful
Upon awaiting anxiously for a couple of years for this much anticipated book, I'd have to give it a very high rating! Similar to Dobson's book, Bringing Up Boys, this book offers outstanding advice based on the current culture in raising up daughters.
Whoever said that boys and girls were the same was wrong. Scientifically, Dobson has shown the difference of the two genders. They are wired so differently. In a culture where we are self-obsessed, girls are growing up at a young age feeling "fat" and insecure. Girls as young as nine are dieting. Sixty percent of girls at age 15 will have eating disorders. So what's a parent to do?
Thankfully, we have the guidance of people like Dobson who has thoroughly analyzed the female gender and has given us great perspective on what to do. There has been insurmountable evidence that points to the importance of fathers in a daughter's life. There are chapters devoted to both mothers and fathers in this book.
I like the examples from families like the Wilsons who started the Father-Daugther Purity Ball. Included in the book is an interview from them and how they raised their seven children. Knowing one of them personally, I can tell you that their emphasis on purity in their daughter's lives has truly made a difference.
There is a chapter on bullies and buddies. From the news, we hear of more incidents where girls have been harmed or have even committed suicide because of bullies. As I think back on my youth, I was also harmed by bullies who made for a difficult teenage experience. Dobson stresses the importance of parents talking with their teenagers about these issues.
What I also enjoyed was the questions and answers sections in this book. Real parents sent in their questions with common themes and Dobson answers them with great advice.
My advice to all parents of girls is to pick up a copy of this book! It would probably be better to own it then check it out at the library. That way you can refer to it from time to time! I am so happy that I waited for this book and could receive it so quickly! It'll be worth your money spent! Thank you, Dobson, for another great book!
Excellent Book July 13, 2010
sdmc
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A fabulous book for parents who want to raise their girls to be women of strong character with rock-solid moral principles. Full of advice about navigating the negative cultural messages our daughters are inundated with constantly, and it offers some real encouragement to those going through the crazy pre-teen and teen years. [WOMEN BEWARE: I thought this book would be all about my daughter and was caught off guard by how much it made me examine my own relationship with my father. It highlights the powerful influence (positive or negative) that dads have on their daughters.]
Being a female, I didn't think I would find it as informative as Bringing Up Boys, but I really learned a lot. I have already recommended this to a number of friends.
Fantastic! from a mom of 4 (2 girls) April 26, 2010
A. Sands (Louisville, Ky United States)
14 out of 21 found this review helpful
I have been reading this book with my husband and not only has it given us some fantastic advice about our daughters it has enriched our marriage.
Realizing the impact you have for the good or bad on your kids is always something to remember and to have it written in such a way that both
men and woman will enjoy reading it is a blessing. If you have a female of any age in your life I would encourage you to get this book. You may not agree with
everything that is written but you will find some amazing insights, both scientific and relational, that will help us all relate better to each other as man and woman and as parents to raise truly well rounded girls that appreciate and love being uniquely female.
Incredible June 28, 2010
Father to be
Very well written, informative and insightful. We bought 3 more copies for some friends.
Read This...Especially Dads July 7, 2010
A. Whipple (Pennsylvania, USA)
Well, there are now some instructions for parents in the form of research, life experience, and advice for parents of boys and girls in the books Bringing Up Boys and Bringing Up Girls. Bringing Up Boys was published years ago, and finally, Dr. James Dobson has written for the fairer sex...Bringing Up Girls.
I really liked the way that Dobson wrote this book (in his typical style, if you have read any of his other books, such as The Strong-Willed Child.) There is plenty of research to back up what he says, but he shares it in an easy to read book.
One thing that I read over and over again is how important fathers are to their daughters and for the future of their daughters. Dobson included information from everything from hormones to bullies.
One thing that Bringing Up Girls helped me to understand is that it is very important for us, as the parents, to tell our daughter that she is beautiful. In the past, I had limited saying things of this sort, despite my daughter's outward beauty. Now I am really trying to change that, letting my little girl know she is beautiful, while making sure she knows that it is the inner beauty that truly matters. At three years of age, I don't think it is too soon for these discussions!
Like any book on parenting, it is hard to agree with all of it. Some readers may be surprised by this, but I disagreed with his perspective on the princess phenomenon that needs to be addressed in every home that has a little girl in it. First, I will say everything in moderation...kind of...but when it comes to princesses I tend to be careful, but do not ban them from our home. Even Christian marketing seems to have jumped on this with using the phrase, "God's Little Princess." Sorry, friends, I'm just not convinced. Dr. Dobson didn't convince me either.
Dobson did give some credit to those who dislike all things princess, but mostly portrayed these mothers as feminists. I did like the following that he had to say (pages 121-122).
The better approach, I believe, is to carefully scrutinize and select that which will be allowed into the lives of our children.
Our job is to teach and itnerpret for them what they need to understand. They will learn farm ore directily from us than from
storybook fantasies...Ultimately, mothers will have to decide whether or not to introcude their girls to this
and other forms of make believe. It si my belief that the good outweighs the bad in the princess movement,
and it is certainly better than Bratz dolls or the adolescent world of Barbie.
So for our children, we won't be having a princess birthday party, but we still read fairy tales and even own several Cinderella books and even a dress-up doll that was a hand-me-down. We just don't want it to become a focus of all of our pretend play. Thankfully, our daughter is happy to act out Jack and the Beanstalk and David and Goliath even more than Cinderella.
Dobson brought something up that surprised me. He suggested not to allow boys (teenagers) babysit your children due to all of their hormones. His thought is that you can't be too cautious. I'm not sure if I fully agree with that. I have a (much) younger brother just out of his teen years that I would be happy to let my children spend time with him.
This is definitely an excellent resource for parents with many, many valuable lessons in it. I have asked my husband to read it next, because I think its invaluable for fathers! This may be a Christian book, but I think just about all of the information in it could be appreciated by someone that is not a Christian.
I don't have to agree with every word in Bringing Up Girls to highly recommennd this book to any parent of a girl...infant through college, and maybe even beyond!
Thank you Tyndale House Publishers for a review copy.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 56
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