by Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman
When my daughter was very young her world revolved around me; Everything I said or did to her or for her, well, that was her reality. Now that she’s turning nine this little world is shrinking more and more as she is creating her own life with adventures and experiences. While it’s bittersweet to me to watch her do things on her own and experience things completely without me, I know that this is how she will grow up and become independent. I do want to, however, provide her with as many tools as possible to develop self-esteem and resiliency to allow her to deal with whatever life throws at her and be able to go after her dreams. The book Brave Girls, Raising Young Women with Passion and Purpose to Become Powerful Leaders by Stacey Radin is a plethora of insights, tips and suggestions on how to raise a confident girl who will go after her dreams and inspire others.
Stacey Radin, PsyD, is a psychologist who created Unleashed, an after-school program for middle-school-aged girls that involves connecting puppies from over-crowded shelters with adoptive families, while educating the public and doing fundraisers. This transformative program not only helps the puppies; at the end of the 12-week program the girls themselves feel more empowered, passionate and confident. In the book, which was written together with Leslie Goldman, Radin discusses in details the program and the long-lasting effect it has on the girls. More importantly, she gives detailed explanations on how you, the parents, can use her insight to empower your daughter. Any girl can learn from the tips in the book (each chapter concludes with exercises) and use them in her day-to-day life.
I am particularly interested in raising a confident girl in a world that puts emphasis on achievement and competition. One thing that Radin recommends is creating an “entourage” for your daughter and surrounding your daughter with other girls who will support her, what she calls “social capital”. In addition, Radin feels that when women and girls create a shared experience it gives them strength, thus, a group of young girls who support each other and go through an experience together end up being empowered.
Having a purpose and being attached to a cause (in Radin’s case, the Unleashed program) can empower girls to be change makers not only as young girls, but also as women. Getting girls started early builds a strong foundation to creating strong women. While the tips in the book are meant for girls, women of any age will find them useful as well, especially when it comes to the workplace.
You can purchase the book on Amazon. Price is $17.46
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Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Bites and has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 8, 6 and 3) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.
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