BROADCASTS.com

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

Now I\u2019m not a girl mom. But I am a girl. That\u2019s gotta count for something.

I know how complicated\xa0my\xa0emotions can be. With all the social media and cultural pressures,\xa0I can only imagine how overwhelming it is to raise a girl nowadays.

Good news!!! Today\u2019s help comes\xa0from girl expert and licensed counselor,\xa0Sissy Goff. She spends most of her days chatting with girls and their families. The author of eight books including, \u201cRaising Girls\u201d, 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\xa0anxiety). Sissy shares great thoughts on girl friendships and sister stress.

Personally, I love her thoughts on how attention issues (e.g., ADHD) can impact\xa0girls socially. Lastly, she gives excellent advice on how to maintain a healthy mother-daughter relationship. And this quote:

• \xa0Speaking 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 \u201cinto the huddle of your family\u201d 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\u2019s 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 \u201cbalcony friends,\u201d \u201cbasement friends,\u201d and \u201crollercoaster friends.\u201d
• Respecting her capabilities and fighting the urge to \u201cfix everything\u201d as she moves into the teen years.

• raisingboysandgirls.com
• daystarcounseling.com
• Courtney DeFeo
• \nAre My Kids on Track?: The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach\xa0(to be released Feb 2017) by Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan **
• \nModern Parents, Vintage Values: Instilling Character in Today\u2019s Kid\xa0by Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff**
• \nIntentional Parenting: Autopilot Is for Planes\xa0by Sissy Goff and David Thomas**
• \nRaising Girls\xa0by Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff**
• \nFreeing Your Child from Anxiety\xa0by Tamar Chansky (mentioned in the interview)**