Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice. . .including sassiness?

Now I’m not a girl mom. But I am a girl. That’s gotta count for something.

I know how complicated my emotions can be. With all the social media and cultural pressures, I can only imagine how overwhelming it is to raise a girl nowadays.

Good news!!! Today’s help comes from girl expert and licensed counselor, Sissy Goff. She spends most of her days chatting with girls and their families. The author of eight books including, “Raising Girls”, Sissy brings loads of wisdom and perspective.

In this episode we spend the first chunk of time talking on the topic of beauty. Then we move into whining and strong emotions (including the epidemic of childhood anxiety). Sissy shares great thoughts on girl friendships and sister stress.

Personally, I love her thoughts on how attention issues (e.g., ADHD) can impact girls socially. Lastly, she gives excellent advice on how to maintain a healthy mother-daughter relationship. And this quote:

Connect with Sissy:

Featured Sponsor: Persimmon Prints

Persimmon Prints is a faith-based art & apparel company located in the Chicago area.  With every purchase, we help you FILL your life with print, FIX your heart on God, and FIGHT for those in need.  We believe in eternal investments and providing ethically made goods; we prioritize having continued partnerships with various faith-based organizations, both locally and worldwide, while also placing quality goods in your hands.  So, treat yourself & your home to beautiful, purposeful products, while giving back to the greater community.

What we chat about:

•  Speaking to the different areas of beauty God has placed in each girl, specifically calling out strength and bravery.
• How we, as moms, talk about OURSELVES influences how our daughters see themselves.
• Helping girls develop their own identity.
• Keeping an ongoing dialogue and pulling your daughter back “into the huddle of your family” to discuss external messages.
• Building up confidence helps lessen the fixation on external beauty.
• Circling back to the places your daughter is confident and the things she likes about herself.
• The importance of a girl’s father (or other male role model in her life) to show her she is valued for who she is.
• Helping your daughter realize most girls share her same struggles.
• Managing her intense emotions at home and recognizing anxiety.
• Teaching empathy in practical ways.
• Identifying “balcony friends,” “basement friends,” and “rollercoaster friends.”
• Respecting her capabilities and fighting the urge to “fix everything” as she moves into the teen years.

Links Mentioned:

• raisingboysandgirls.com
• daystarcounseling.com
• Courtney DeFeo
• Are My Kids on Track?: The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach (to be released Feb 2017) by Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan **
• Modern Parents, Vintage Values: Instilling Character in Today’s Kid by Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff**
• Intentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes by Sissy Goff and David Thomas**
• Raising Girls by Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff**
• Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar Chansky (mentioned in the interview)**

How to listen to the podcast:

1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post.

2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called Downcast. It allows you to search for shows, subscribe to them and even speed up the audio. If you don’t have an iDevice, you can listen via Stitcher.

3. Subscribe to the Podcast – access the podcast in iTunes (Click here to access via iTunes). You can also search for it on your smartphone app (like the ones listed above) and subscribe.