You feel more than mommy guilt. You feel a deep and growing conviction that you must do something to disciple your daughter. But what? How can a busy mom make sure that her daughter learns about the most important things in life: what Jesus did for her on the cross and how to be faithful to him in this broken world?
Author Trish Donohoe has been there, and that’s why she wrote Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters. These twenty-six gospel-driven talks are a fun and easy guide for mothers who want to disciple their daughters but don’t know where to start. In each short chapter, moms and daughters read God’s Word, ask one another questions about their thoughts and experiences, get honest about their struggles with sin, brainstorm ways to live out their faith, and build genuine fellowship into their relationship.
Between Us Girls is more than a devotional; it’s a conversation guide, and the twenty-six “chats” are just the beginning. Ultimately, Donohoe’s book teaches mothers and daughters a new way to communicate and starts them on a wonderful, lifelong journey of getting to know one another better and learning to love their Savior more.
Between Us Girls was written by a busy mom for busy moms, so no prep time is needed! Just schedule some time with your daughter, grab this book, head to your destination of choice, and cherish every moment you share with your girl.
26 gospel-driven talks draw mothers and daughters into meaningful conversations about their lives, our world, and the hope we have in Jesus. Guides both mothers and daughters to think more deeply about their faith by uncovering God’s good intention for his world, wrestling with how sin has affected everything, lifting their eyes to Jesus, and applying biblical truth to the mess of everyday life. Forged out of a mother’s experiences with her daughters and written in simple, fun, and gentle language that every young girl can understand and enjoy Teaches mother and daughter a new way to communicate and provides a springboard for a lifetime of mother-daughter conversations.
Tricia Donohue is a wife and mom who writes from her kitchen table in West Chester, PA. A desire to disciple her girls paired with a love for writing inspired this book. She and her husband, Jim, have two sons and two daughters. They attend Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA, where Jim serves as a pastor.
Are you a mother with a teen or tween daughter? This fantastic resource brings God’s word to bear in a winsome way across the range of things you talk and think about, as she prepares for the joys and challenges of growing up. With 26 easily readable chapters, each covers God’s plan, how sin has affected it, how the gospel speaks to it, and then how we live in light of what Christ has done. Donohue starts clearly explaining the gospel and then moves into other topics, including relationships (our families, our friends, our role models), insight into who we are (our feelings, our flair, our appearance, our design, our weaknesses), our spiritual life (our devotions, our prayers, our church) and considerations into how we live now and into the future (our work, our reach, our hard times).
Every single chapter was biblically sound, instructive and wise. Donohue’s writing style is very appealing: serious when appropriate, direct at points, and funny and a bit silly at other times. The sharing questions for mothers and daughters always extended the conversation further.
While the language is written for mothers and daughters, it could be adjusted to suit other mentoring relationships, including a grandmother and granddaughter; godmother and god-daughter, or aunt and niece. It could even be adapted, with some care, for a small group setting.
This book gives us some great wisdom and help to proactively guide and grow our daughters in these adolescent years. Highly recommended.
The book every single girl mom must have. One of my biggest fears is getting this girl-mom thing wrong, and this book is such a valuable resource. The 26 conversations included in this devotional type book cover everything from feelings to clothing, friends to fears. This books serves as a natural conversation starter between moms and their daughters, and brings the Bible in as a resource for each topic. I feel this can be adapted for daughters of most any age and still be appropriate. I highly recommend. *I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Just finished reading this with two of my girls - ages 14 and 12. They loved it. I think they loved the time we spent together as much as the book. Each chapter is short, so it was very easy to fit in a chapter or two before bed. Throughout each chapter, there are questions that are directed to the daughter(s). There are also some questions directed to the mom. I think this was my girls' favorite part - they actually wanted to hear how I would answer the questions. I like how there are scriptures throughout each chapter for us to consider. This book definitely provided lots of conversation starters for us. I will be reading this again in a few years with my youngest girl, and maybe re-reading with the girls who have already read it.
I read the whole book, but will be going through it slowly with my oldest (10). I highly recommend this to any mom who wants to further gospel-centered conversation with their young daughter! Each topic is relatable and appropriate for our current culture while continually pointing to scripture. The questions and discussion topics are thought-provoking without being overwhelming or intimidating. It’s a fabulous resource!
Excellent book - written in a way that girls would immediately relate to, with solid bible references and biblical teaching. A great aid for mums and daughters to bond over, or even for mums to read through first. A great appendix section on how to talk about the chance of sexual abuse and how to address this very important topic. Highly, highly recommended.
I am SO excited to bring you this review today! From the moment I started to read this book, I became super passionate about sharing it will all my fellow Girl Moms. Being a mom to a daughter can be tough, especially if your childhood relationship with your own mother was strained. I know that I didn't have the kind of open, conversational relationship with my mom that as an adult I desire with my daughter. I know that was largely due to my own attitude and behavior, but fostering an open, conversational relationship with my daughter is high on my priority list.
Now, with Trish Donohue's book Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters, I feel like I have a whole new tool in my toolbox of parenting girls. Between Us Girls is a book that contains twenty-six gospel-driven talks to guide mothers through a simple, sustainable way to disciple their daughters. Reading God's word together, asking one another questions, and being honest about their struggles, moms and daughters learn new habits and establish lifelong patterns for communicating about what matters most. This book is not very long at all, but the content is so incredibly rich. Here is a look at the twenty-six guided conversations this book dives into:
The table of contents breaks it down into 26 weeks, but really you could cover this material in so many different ways. You could set up "dates" every other week for a year, or have a standing "date" every week for 6 months. You could work your way through the book over a number of years, though I think that establishing a committed time to purposefully walk through each of these conversations might be best. (Life can seriously get in the way if we are not committed to being intentional!!!)
In each conversation, there are four parts:
The Garden The Weeds The Hill The Field
The Garden "describes God's vision for us. It reminds us of the Garden of Eden, a place unspoiled by sin-- the way God intended for it to be." In The Weeds section we talk "about how sin messes everything up. That's what happened when Adam and Eve chose to turn away from God's design and follow their own. The daisies wilted and thorns and weeds grew up. The Hill we will be passing is the hill of Calvary. It represents the Gospel: the Good News of Jesus' death and resurrection. We'll end our walks in The Field. This is where we take the truths we've learned and get to work. Seeds are planted and fruit grows-- we watch the Gospel change everything."
I hope you can tell just from reading those brief explanatory excerpts how deeply moving this book can be. Every section of each conversation has questions for both moms and girls. They are sometimes funny, sometimes serious. There are questions that allow moms to tell about some of their past experiences, hopes and dreams, and there are questions that help girls open up about their desires, fears and feelings. I feel like every mother of a daughter needs to have this book in their hands. I am just so passionate about spreading the word about this book-- and no, I am not being paid by the author to do so! I did receive this book for free as an advanced reading copy but I plan on buying several more to give as gifts!
As far as what age I think this book would work best for... there is not a "recommended age" given by the author in this book, but I think as a mom, you can gauge your child's readiness for these conversations. I feel that at five years old, Gia is just a bit young. I feel that by waiting maybe 2 or 3 more years, we will be able to have much better conversations. But I will say this-- I know we want to keep our girls "little" for a long time and not expose them to the world. This book is not about revealing dangers in the world or scary things that could happen. It is GOSPEL-CENTERED and TRUTH-INSTILLING. It is truly FOUNDATIONAL. I truly think that the younger, the better. So I *personally* would recommend this for any girl around age 7 or more. It depends on the maturity of your daughter, of course, but I think that would be a good age to at least begin to consider it. I'd love to hear your feedback on that, if you do purchase the book.
I hope that if you get this book, you truly love it as much as I do. There could be so many uses for it outside of just a mother-daughter relationship too. It could be used in a mentor relationship, and I'm even trying to think of a way that it could become a mother-daughter weekend retreat. The possibilities are endless. I hope you take it and run with it, and you and your daughters' lives are forever changed for the better.
You feel more than mommy guilt. You feel a deep and growing conviction that you must do something to disciple your daughter. But what? How can a busy mom make sure that her daughter learns about the most important things in life: what Jesus did for her on the cross and how to be faithful to him in this broken world?
Author Trish Donohoe has been there, and that’s why she wrote Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters. These twenty-six gospel-driven talks are a fun and easy guide for mothers who want to disciple their daughters but don’t know where to start. In each short chapter, moms and daughters read God’s Word, ask one another questions about their thoughts and experiences, get honest about their struggles with sin, brainstorm ways to live out their faith, and build genuine fellowship into their relationship.
Between Us Girls is more than a devotional; it’s a conversation guide, and the twenty-six “chats” are just the beginning. Ultimately, Donohoe’s book teaches mothers and daughters a new way to communicate and starts them on a wonderful, lifelong journey of getting to know one another better and learning to love their Savior more.
Between Us Girls was written by a busy mom for busy moms, so no prep time is needed! Just schedule some time with your daughter, grab this book, head to your destination of choice, and cherish every moment you share with your girl.
26 gospel-driven talks draw mothers and daughters into meaningful conversations about their lives, our world, and the hope we have in Jesus. Guides both mothers and daughters to think more deeply about their faith by uncovering God’s good intention for his world, wrestling with how sin has affected everything, lifting their eyes to Jesus, and applying biblical truth to the mess of everyday life. Forged out of a mother’s experiences with her daughters and written in simple, fun, and gentle language that every young girl can understand and enjoy Teaches mother and daughter a new way to communicate and provides a springboard for a lifetime of mother-daughter conversations.
My Review:
Growing up as a girl is getting harder and harder with each passing day. The world is changing rapidly and with each terrible headline it shows. so parents need to slow that pace down especially in their own homes so that we don't lose our children to this disastrous society. Bit by bit if we reel them in we may actually get kids that are untarnished, if we don't give hope. Through God we have hope for our future and theirs. That is why it's a good thing when those around us help parents in this endeavor.
Trish Donohue, has taken a great book and catapulted this issue, in my opinion. She takes some great conversation starters and turns them into something that can actually change the course of your daughters life. Starters such as Focus, Feelings, Prayers, Friendships, and my personal favorite Hard Times in which she discusses when life takes a turn for the worse. whether it is for only a season or for what seems like an eternity. She aids us in what to do when life hands you a "splinter". great advice and great soul stirring conversation starters.
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author.
Sometimes a book lands in my hands that fills me with joyful anticipation, and this is one of those. First, because it promises delightful, fruitful time ahead with my beloved daughter (who is 12). And second, because it is in itself a delightful book. I was immediately taken with its feminine cover and lightweight size, perfect for easy toting.
Strategically packed with 26 guided sessions for meaningful mom-daughter convos, Between Us Girls has become a valued tool in my mom arsenal — a cheat sheet for honest discussion. Not that my daughter and I require much prompting to get us to talk to one another — we are easy with each other that way. But we don’t always necessarily go to all the really important topics that should be discussed at various points along the way. The questions here are relevant and interesting, not fluffy or didactic. The tone is casual and relational, and the range in topics is broad — from flair to friendships and fears; from weakness to work and our world.
For our first time out with this book, my daughter and I went to Menchie’s, our favorite froyo destination. While we enjoyed our treat, we read the short chapter and answered the included questions, and each of us learned a little more about the other. Afterwards, my daughter said, “That was fun,” and asked when we could do the next one. While the 26 chapters can be taken at any pace mother-and-daughter choose, she decided she’d like to work through the entire book this summer, which is still easily doable at 2 or 3 chapters a week. We together have decided to take it with us on our upcoming vacation, where we anticipate it will provide a welcome diversion.
I am thoroughly enjoying the relational and growth opportunities this book facilitates with my daughter and can hardly wait for more. Now Trish Donahue just needs to write one for boys.
It seems like such a long time ago that I was a young pre-teen girl. Sometimes, as mothers, we aren't sure how to relate to our young daughters. The author has taken her personal experience and faith to write a resource for moms who want to relate to their daughters and have conversations with them that mean something; conversations that go beyond the surface and connect in a meaningful way.
The book is small and compact, but filled with lots of fun and useful information. The author begins with the idea of a walk between mother and daughter as they talk and share. Each chapter is based on this idea. They begin with a devotional or thought on the chapter's subject. There are questions for the mom and daughter to answer, Bible passages to read, and thoughts to ponder. Each one covers a topic that needs to be addressed, a learning experience, or a subject that is connecting in regards to relationships. I loved the concept and can't wait to try these out with my daughter. I think we will both enjoy working our way through the book. I also appreciated the care that went into the chapter in the back on sexual abuse and ways to avoid or work through it. This is definitely a book I would recommend to any mother who has a daughter.
I received this book free of charge from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.
Oh, I love this book! I can't wait to someday have girls of my own to have deep and meaningful conversations with. This book is one of those books that sparks conversations on feelings, appearance, attitude, change, fear, clothing, protection, etc. I love how this book is like a devotional that is meant between a mother and daughter or could even be used for a girls youth group discussion time where you could pull out one of these topics and bring it to a group of girls to discuss. It is relevant, it is real, but it communicates how girls should have a lifelong relationship with The Lord and I love it! This is a small book, but a complete book that is fresh air. If you've been looking for a book for a tween daughter, or teen daughter and haven't figured out how to navigate some waters, but want to do a 10 minute devotional at night with her, THIS IS IT! I LOVE IT! I give this book 10/5 stars because I think it is fabulous. I wish they had something like this when I was growing up! Thank you to the publisher and author for providing a complimentary copy for my honest review, which I have provided.
I have one little girl, and each day I feel shame and guilt that I'm not raising her to love Jesus the way I should. I get angry because I honestly don't know how, most of the time.
My momma became a Christian when I was much older, so this is very new territory. Trish Donohue gets this.
She's created a gem of a book to help assist in this area. Her book is a literal transcript to go by! Each chapter is a "talk" for moms and daughters to have with one another. Moms have questions to ask, as well as daughters. It's beautifully written in a way to get to the deep stuff together.
I can't wait to do this with my little girl. She's only 7, but I still think this would be a good age to start this with. Ideally, it would be good to start once reading is no issue-but I still think we can make it work.
This goes beyond a devotion, this is book made to inspire deep intimacy between mom and her precious girl.
I needed this.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review*
A great book for mothers and daughters to use to connect with each other and with God. This book is a good resource not only for mothers to use with their daughters, but for aunt-niece or older sibling younger sibling relationships as well. I love how there are questions for both the “moms” and “daughters” to ask and discuss. I would recommend this to mothers that want to better their parenting skills.
Genre: non-fiction, parenting Publisher: New Growth Press Publication date: June 6, 2016 Number of pages: 144
Content Rating: PG Book Rating: 5 stars
A review copy of this book was provided by LitFuse.
This is the best book I have read as a study for teenage girls. I’m finishing it up with a group of 9th-12th graders and it is gospel driven and applicable to daily life. I will keep it as a great resource for bible studies in the future. Thank you to Trisha Donahue for a wonderful study!