Celebrating Girls: Nurturing and Empowering Our Daughters

by Virginia Beane Rutter

Jungian psychologist Virginia Beane Rutter offers a wide variety of everyday things women can do to strengthen a girl's sense of self and ensure confidence and healthy self-esteem throughout her lifetime. Each chapter highlights an aspect of the passage from infancy to adolescence a practical response to Reviving Ophelia.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kindra McRobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time reading this book. Although my daughter is only 1 year old at the time of reading, it was already helping my perspective on being her mother and inspiring me. I had several take always for things to do with her as she matures, and am planning on keeping it around and reading it again as she gets older. It was very easy to read, with lots of stories and personal examples. Perhaps too many, in fact. It felt like it could have been about half as long, but it’s already a pretty short read. I loved the focus on rituals/ceremonies/celebrations marking different stages of development, and hope to incorporate that concept into our life more.

[Bllu Catalano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book of 187 small pages needs to a new edition! Published in 1996, a lot has happened during the past fifteen years that a revised version could incorporate. I say this because this book is a keeper. Cover to cover provides thorough advice on how to celebrate your girls.

Via personal stories and anecdotes, as well as studies and historical evidence, rutter highlights important fundamentals about the feminine as well as means to recognize and celebrate them in your lives together.
The chapters follow key changes as girls grow into young women, focusing on simple traditions, inviting us to recognize their hidden depth.

Everyday actions such as bathing, hair care, dress and choosing adornment that we all undertake are revealed as important doorways of connection that, when shared consciously, can become lifelong treasured traditions. This book was written when feminists and scholars were engaged in exploring the feminine journey.

Under this intensive investigation, female history, literature, and mythology confirmed troves of new understanding and wisdom about human history. Steeped in this environment, Celebrating Girls emphases feminine symbol, myth, and historical tradition. Whether discussing the importance of jewelry boxes, sports, or body awareness, a mood of respect is ever-present. Each page and chapter permeates with respect for the way of girls, respect for the feminine and respect for the parents who make the commitment to honor the process of growing up a daughter.

Books about children are picked up because we wish to become more effective parents and care-takers. However, the best books about children—indeed about any subject—allow the reader to recognize their self in the text. Rutter recognizes that part of raising a child is knowing what nourishment you did or did not receive while a child yourself. Understanding that the caretaker’s fulfillment—or lack—is handed down to the next generation, she includes rituals for mothers and elders, as well as daughters.

I’m not going to lie and say this book was written for everyone: it’s implied audience is mainly mothers of daughters. However, one significant gain of fifteen plus years working towards women’s equality is a greater sense of inclusion. At the time of publication, writing a book solely for women, and specifically mothers, was a powerful act in itself. But how amazing and quickly the times have evolved so that a powerful act today would be to write for care-takers of all stripes!

That being said, the information about girls in this book could and should be used by any caring party. As it stands, caretakers of all stripes will find rich fare. Adoptive fathers, for example, might find this a treasure trove of insight into a girl’s childhood that they did not experience. If you are hoping to gain insight into the ways of girls, whoever you are, Celebrating Girls will give you much to ruminate, explore and, above all, enjoy.

[Kindra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time reading this book. Although my daughter is only 1 year old at the time of reading, it was already helping my perspective on being her mother and inspiring me. I had several take aways for things to do with her as she matures, and am planning on keeping it around and reading it again as she gets older. It was very easy to read, with lots of stories and personal examples. Perhaps too many, in fact. It felt like it could have been about half as long, but it's already a pretty short read. I loved the focus on rituals/ceremonies/celebrations marking different stages of development, and hope to incorporate that concept into our life more.

[Marianne Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for thinking about how to empower girls to embrace being female and celebrating rites of passages like first day of school to first period.

[Annie]

Nice holiday gift for friends with daughters.