Bringing Up Girls

so I've been reading a book called "Bringing Up Girls" by James C. Dobson, at the urging of my friend Brittany, and let me tell you something...this book makes me cry every time i read it..literally, every time.

its loaded with stats and studies that help you understand a young girls brain, and emotional standing, but its also filled with Godly wisdom, from an obviously doting father.

I'm only 12 chapters in and its becoming overwhelmingly obvious that one of the main things a girl needs in her life is her father. He is her first crush, her first true love, her spiritual leader, and her guardian.

I had like 20 quotes underlined i wanted to write a post on, and then i read this list last night and i knew i had to share it with you all. I'm going to omit some things because its pretty lengthy, but i pray that all of you with little girls will share it with your husbands. its all so true, and so wonderful.

- Accept the fact that your little girl will melt your heart anytime she chooses.
-Take part in her life NOW, don't wait until she's 15 to try and develop a relationship
-Remember, if you yell at a boy not to play with a wall socket, he either will stomp off or do it anyway, a girl will cry.
-Her mom will show her how to back chocolate chip cookies. You will teach her how to dunk them in milk.
-Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her 200 times. Each.
-Never lose the wonder of watching her and her mother together.
-Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world.
-Trust her mom to understand the mystery of little girls. You have yet to figure out the mystery of big ones.
-Never, ever, make fun of her.
-Bear in mind that from the very beginning your personality will shape her.
-Never forget that supportive fathers produce daughters with high self-esteem.
-Give her a picture of you to put in her first purse. If you're lucky, she'll always cary a photo of you.
-Dont tolerate her temper tantrums. Not now. Not when she's 15. Your home will be more peaceful for this.
-Restrict her TV viewing, unless you want her to grow up with the values Hollywood teaches her.
-Little girls are fascinated by escalators, hold her hand.
-Make her a Valentines Day card, every year.
-Be home for dinner on time. VERY important.
-Ask her about her day, every day. Share her wonder.
-Keep her secrets. This way she will begin to trust men.
-Take her for a walk in the woods. Show her what poison ivy looks like, how to cross a stream, how to find her way back.
-Let her teach you. About what she learned in school today. About the pilgrims. How to sing her favorite song. How to bake a cake. How to braid Barbies hair :)
-Praise her OFTEN. Let her know you love her the way she is. If you tell her this often enough she might remember it throughout adolescence.
-Surpise her by showing up at school with lunch, bearing Happy Meals or Pizza.
-Never argue with her mom in front of her, as hard as it may be, walk away.
-Remember society is teaching her its values 24/7, you need to be more determined to teach her yours.
-Never permit her to talk back rudely- to you or to her mother. Or anybody else for that matter!
-Teach her patience, kindess, and tolerance. If you don't, many years from now you'll wish you had.
-Take her to the golf course with you.
-Think before you speak. Even when you don't mean to, you can end up hurting her feelings.
-NEVER laugh at her dreams.
-Take her out of town to somewhere she's never been at least once a year. This will develop her sense of adventure.
-Dont miss a recital, concert, play, or any other performance of hers. Not now. Not until she graduates.
-Encourage her to be kind, even to the girl nobody likes.
-Remember teenage girls spend hours in their room doing something. No mad has every really figured out what that something is. ( haha! )
-once she begins to develop physically and sexually don't pull away from her.
-Remind her that the most sacred thing between father and daughter is trust.
-Remember, your dealing with a 13 year old girl. For all intensive purposes your dealing with a fruit cake.
-Talk to her often about decision-making and sex. About her peer-pressure, about love, about romance, about God. You never know when it will be just the thing she needs to hear.
-Watch your language around her, insist she watch hers.
-Accept the fact that girls squeal when they're happy, or confused, or excited or scared or because they just saw a certain boy in line.
-When she's particularly angry sit down with her and haver her try to describe whats going on. Remember the more you listen, the more you'll learn.
-Dont subscribe to magazines that exploit women. It makes a statement about how you view all women.
-If you don't approve of the way she looks before she goes out, send her back to her room to start over. Be gentle, but firm.
-Dont let her play you and her mother against each other.
-Never call her names. No matter how mad you are. No matter what she did. If you do, she'll remember it for the rest of her life.
-Remmeber many girls look back on middle school as the worst time in their lives, stay tuned, stay involved.
-Volunteer to drive her and her friend to the movies, then just listen while they talk.
-The day she is born, as God to guide you in all aspects of raising her.
-Forgive her when she seeks forgiveness. This is the best way to teach her to forgive others.
-Teach her how to be moral in an age that bombards her with sexual imagery and innuendo.
-Teach her to pray for her enemies. This could possibly include a rotating cast of
classmates and ex-boyfriends.
-Teach her to treat each day as holy.
-Teach her that sometimes God has other plans.
-No matter how much you are tempted, don't yell at the refs or insult the umpire. Your embarrass her, and look like an idiot.
-you wil have to teach her to drive, without making her cry.
-Persuade her to buy gas when the fuel level is at a quarter tank, not when the needle is buried and she's running on fumes.
-Odd looking yours will start showing up at your house. This is expected because adolescent boys are odd looking.
-Let her see by the way you treat your wife, the way a man is supposed to treat a woman.


okay I'm going to cut it off there..theres two more pages and this post is getting a little long! i recommend reading the book yourself, it really is great! there is also a bringing up boys version for all you boy moms out there!

stay tuned for Leightons 5 month blog, were a little behind, her suffering with RSV has taken up a little bit of my time and delayed her photo shoot! ha!