Daughters articles from May 2008

Daughters archives from May 2008

Margo Maine on body image distress.(IN THE KNOW)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the most powerful influences on a daughters body image is what she learns from her parents, says psychologist Margo Maine. Dad's comments about female appearance and Mom's anxiety over her own "imperfect" body...

Smoothing her stepfamily transitions.(LET'S TALK)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mom: Liza, I'm going to go to that company party with Tom tonight, so I won't be able to do the movie with you. Liza: But it's Friday night! We always watch a movie together on Friday nights. Mom: I know,...

Does she think she's a leader?(HER WORLD)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... It's not unusual to see girls in leadership positions these days, but plenty of girls still shy away from leading, missing out on the confidence boost and skill-building that leadership brings. "Exploring Girls' Leadership," an insightful...

Editor's desk.
May 1, 2008... It's hard to listen, as I did recently, as a parent tells of their daughter's experiences with an eating disorder such as anorexia. You hear the terror and hopelessness as they describe watching their girl waste away day after day, seemingly...

Dating educating.(News to Use: reviews, research, and new ideas)
May 1, 2008... How much do you know about your daughter's dating realities? One in five tweens say their friends are victims of dating violence and nearly half of all 11- to 14-year-olds in relationships know friends who are verbally abused. Tweens and teens...

Happy with classes?(News to Use: reviews, research, and new ideas)(girls interests in classes)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Girls like reading and writing while boys like math and science, right? Not really. Elementary-aged gifts actually like math and science more than language arts, report researchers at the University of Miami in Ohio who surveyed some 2,000...

Responsible boys.(News to Use: reviews, research, and new ideas)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Boys who get sex education at school or through a religious or community program were almost three times more likely to use birth control the first time they had sex and were more likely than girls to delay sex until age 15, according to a...

More fun together!(News to Use: reviews, research, and new ideas)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Wouldn't it be fun to head off to a luxurious spa with your daughter? It's easy--and cheap--when the spa is at your own home! You and your daughter (and how about inviting a bunch of friends?) can whip up yummy creams and potions in your...

Acting out--for fun and confidence.(EDUCATION)(daughters in theaters)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Molly doesn't look like the Greek warrior Achilles. At 10, she's shorter and slighter than many girls in her class. But that didn't stop her from playing Achilles in Homer's The Iliad last spring. On stage, her sweet...

Soothing her menstrual cramps.(HEALTH)
May 1, 2008... As a girl settles into a predictable menstrual cycle--which typically happens in the year after her first period--one of two patterns emerge. She may have relatively painless periods that don't disrupt her life, which is happily true for most...

What about tattoos and piercings?(PARENT'S FORUM)
May 1, 2008... My 12-year-old daughter thinks bellybutton piercing and little tattoos on the shoulder or ankle are cute. I told her when she turns 16, she could get one. Is that a good idea?--A. M. Have your daughter try out a temporary tattoo for a year...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... What can we do to make the world more safe and fair for our daughters? That's the question I posed recently to our Daughters Plus subscribers in my Update newsletter, noting many parents' concerns ranging from the fear of sexual assault that...

Ask the expert.
May 1, 2008... Our daughter has begun dating a boy, which is fine, but we would also like to get to know him better. She resents our rules about what they can do together at our house, so she doesn't want to have him here. I don't want to make a big deal of...

Help your daughter stand up to trouble talk.(FRIENDSHIPS)
May 1, 2008... Gossiping. Lying. Spreading rumors. Sharing others' troubles. Giving hurtful, unsolicited advice. These are common "trouble talk" tactics girls employ in person or online to put down or get back at others. But what happens when your daughter is...

Forgiving: the healing power of starting over.(PARENTING)(The Unburdened Heart: Five Keys to Forgiveness and Freedom)(Book review)
May 1, 2008... Forgiveness is easy when our daughters are little. But as our girls get older, we both may find it hard to let go of each others' failings, and our hearts become hardened. In The Unburdened Heart: Five Keys to Forgiveness and Freedom (Harper...

Sparking everyday science excitement.(FATHERING JOURNEY)
May 1, 2008... Science-savvy females have a real advantage in today's world, with typical payoffs of higher salaries and wider opportunities. But particularly in the tween and teen years, many girls get turned off to science. We know we should encourage her...

When it's her job to break away.(CONSIDER THIS)
May 1, 2008... While our daughter grows up, we focus--as we should--on creating a super-strong bond with her, hoping she'll know that she can always turn to us for guidance and support. Yet a crucial marker of our success as parents is our girls' ability to...

Show girls how Dad balances work and family.(DAD'S DESK)
May 1, 2008... I was recently on a TV talk show to speak about fathering issues when the self-described Gen-X host called on a teen girl and her dad in the audience. The host asked the girl, "What's your biggest issue with your dad right now?" "When I...