A little bit about what you'll find reviewed here

A little bit about what you'll find reviewed on this blog: I believe the best books involve characters you wish you could read more about long after the book is finished. Recently, I've been searching for hidden gems from the past. I read mostly fiction, and I'm a bit of a prude. I don't normally enjoy books with sex or excessive language.

Who I am:
I raised two wonderful girls, and I'm super proud of them. I enjoy reading (of course), sewing, cross stitching, photography and writing. I live in the high desert portion of Washington (which I didn't know existed until my husband and I decided to move here) and have really enjoyed my time out here. I am excited to see what God has next in store for my life!

Friday, September 4, 2015

She's Almost a Teenager - Peter & Heather Larson, David & Claudia Arp

My girls are 11 and 12 (almost 13).  It's a scary time, hoping that I'm doing my best and KNOWING these are important days in their lives.  They're both in middle school now, and I worry about them.  When I saw the description for this book, I was interested to see what I could learn.  I'm always on the lookout for ways to be a better parent!

This book breaks important matters down into "conversations."  Topics include friends, body image, boys, academics, money, faith & tech.  Each of these is broken down and explored with the intention of having a specific conversation about this particular topic.  At the end of each chapter is questions the parent goes through with their daughter.

Overall, this was a pretty decent book.  I didn't really learn anything new, so if you've done much research on your own, you might not get much out of it.  A lot of it is common sense.  I found it annoying that the authors switch back and forth talking all the time and make sure I know it.  Every time I saw "I (Heather)" or whoever, I got irritated.

There's a lot of advice out there and the best thing you can do is determine what is best for your child based on who they are and what works.  I have two daughters with different personalities and I love them both dearly.  The book that I've found the most helpful for us was "Everybody Tells Me to Be Myself but I Don't Know Who I Am."  It was more like a workbook, but it's easy to do a quick section and I found out a lot about my girls. 

If you're looking for a book that has a lot of general advice and aren't afraid of a lot of work, this book might work for you.  They warn you that there isn't any specific outline to follow, you're meant to take the questions, think through them as they apply to your child and adapt the conversation.  If this sounds like a challenge you're up for, go for it!

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.




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