I was really excited to read this book about raising girls by Dr. Dobson, a respected psychologist and counselor. I've read another book by him, Dare to Discipline, and was able to take away some great principles for child-raising from it. I didn't agree with everything, but I believe that when reading books like this you have to be able to take away the good and learn from it and just ignore whatever doesn't fit with your family. Not every child can be raised the same way successfully. I opened Bringing Up Girls with the same frame of mind — knowing that I may not agree with everything but feeling honored to be able to pick the brain of a Christian dad who has raised a daughter and who has helped many, many people solve problems in childraising. I'm not having problems but want to be prepared for sure!

In the first few chapters, Dobson talks about:

- The challenges our daughters face nowadays such as low self-esteem (wanting to be "beautiful" in the world's eyes).

- Why girls (toddlers and teenagers) act the way they do (and how and why they're different from boys).

- How to teach girls to be ladies (basically manners and morals).

He also has a section in which he sat down with 16 college-age women and talked to them about their relationships with their fathers. It was really enlightening and maybe something a father would want to read. I also liked his chapter on "Why Daddies Matter" — for those dads who might not realize how significant they are in their daughters' lives — how much of an influence they are in their lives.

Dr. Dobson is a Christian and therefore this book brings a lot of the word of God into the principles of raising your daughter to be a Godly woman. But I do believe this is a book that could benefit anyone, especially if they're needing advice on a difficult situation involving their daughter. Dobson talks about culture, consequences, puberty, bullies and friends, and much more.

When I first picked up the book, I thought it to be very long and was overwhelmed at first (is raising daughters this complicated?). Well, of course it is. ;-) But I was happy to see that a few of the chapters are in question and answer form. Dobson answers many questions that parents have had for him (he knows what these questions are since he hosted a radio show for years and took a vast number of calls and letters). Some of the ones that I was especially interested in involved daughters being "people pleasers", behavior issues in toddlers and young children, and early puberty in girls. The way the rest of the book is divided into chapters makes it easy to read and pick and choose what you want to especially read about, too.

I felt I was able to take away many helpful principles after reading this book. There were some things I didn't know and many things I'll be somewhat prepared for now that I've read about them. I think the most helpful part for now, with our daughter being a toddler still, was being able to read to my husband why girls act the way they do — how our brains are wired differently, reading about the struggles my daughter will face (well, I'm a girl so I know), and then a few healthy habits for a happy home like having dinner with your children regularly, etc. I can gladly recommend this book to parents of daughters of any age!

This book provides compelling, thought-provoking, and convicting guidance on the many challenges of raising girls in today's world. Dobson hits on many current topics, such as bullying, peer pressure and promiscuity, social media, and the importance of strong parent-child relationships.

I would recommend this book for anyone with girls. Girls are very tricky to raise and this book give good insights for many areas and ages. It gives you core things that girls need in their life to be secure and stable going into the future.

My grand daughters are 11 and 13 and I am trusting that Mom and Dad will benefit from this book. I just skimmed it, but was very impressed with what I have already read. I really enjoyed the interview on the radio that rompted the purchase of this book. Thanks you for all you do to help us raise our children and grandchildren!!!

Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James C. Dobson

I wish this book had been written decades ago with my oldest daughter. Since then, I have had four more daughters.

Recently, I have become a single mom, just divorced, and it scares the heck outta me that my girls have lost their father figure. Bringing Up Girls has many chapters about the father and daughter relationship such as discussing the importance of why dads matter in their daughters life. With my recent divorce it has frightened me that my girls no longer have a good male role model. Yes, mom's do matter--and I must admit that I feel the burden of being the best mom in the world because of their father's shortcomings. I challenge you to pick up a copy today. Let this book speak to your heart and be open to the encouragement it has to offer.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James C. Dobson for counselors, fathers, mothers and grandparents. If you are going to read one book this year, give a book this year as a gift, or in need an idea for a subject in a class, use this book. It will open your eyes very deeply by sharing how relationships between mother and daughter, father and daughter is vital for your daughters growth into adulthood.