How to Mother a Successful Daughter: A Practical Guide to Empowering Girls from Birth to Eighteen

by Nicky Marone

Girls today grow up in a culture saturated with violence, sexual images, and female-toxic messages. Many girls struggle to maintain self-esteem. Faced with unprecedented challenges and choices, they experience a dramatic loss of confidence, often preceding a drop in achievement and aspirations.How to Mother a Successful Daughter comes to the rescue of modern mothers wishing to prevent or reverse the negative effects that contemporary culture has on girls. Packed with practical insights and what-to-say-when advice, this book will not only give you a fresh and smart approach to raising resilient, self-confident daughters, but inspire and uplift you as well.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help

290 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 1998

Reviews

[Elizabeth Wheeler bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. Some of it seemed like no-brainier information, but some of it really challenged me both as a parent and an educator. I want to be certain I am not subconsciously contributing to the stereotypes that encourage girls to become helpless or fit certain molds. The author is involved in some interesting programs in Denver that I would like to look into further both for my daughter and for our school. Her book is full of references I will be looking into, and I want to read the one she wrote for fathers. Like any parenting book, I do not agree 100% with everything she says, but she brings up valid points worthy of reflection.

[Natali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little dated - particularly the part about how to mitigate media messages for your daughter. If you can skim through that chapter, you'll find some great nuggets in this book about how to not only raise a successful daughter but also inspire one by your own example. The author emphasizes teaching our daughters mastery-oriented behavior and self esteem, things I have learned from my own mother, yet still struggled with my entire life, like most women. She also teaches you how to recognize and prevent "learned helplessness" in our daughters, something I surely wish did not exist in our culture.

This book may have been a little too long - I liked the first half a lot more than the second - and perhaps a bit repetitive. But in my constant effort not to screw up my kids, I am glad I picked this up. There are a few golden nuggets I will definitely add to my arsenal of parental prowess.

[Colleenish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about how learned helplessness keeps girls from being successful. I really liked that idea because the beauty myth is just one part of modern day sexism. The idea of learned helplessness covers it all.

The book gives a lot of ideas about how to combat the pressure that society puts on women. Many of them are corny- like asking your kids what they would notice about a commercial if the genders were switched. Corny, but possibly effective.

[Tamara McFarren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with lots to think about. Premise is teaching "mastery behavior" across all aspects of life. Thought provoking with regard to how to mentor/talk with your daughter in ways that empower her (duh!) as opposed to solving problems for her or reinforcing negative stereotypes.

This is a book that will stay on my shelf to read again in a few years.

[Maura-lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic read if you have little girls

[Karen Wilke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Lots of interesting things to think about when raising girls.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely has some interesting concepts, but feels a little outdated.