Dannah Gresh - Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl: Guiding Your Daughter from Her Tweens to Her Teens

I wish Secret Keeper Girl had been available when our daughter was moving through her tweens.

Dr. JamesDobson

Moms today have to be vigilant in every way in order to keep the little in our girls. Thankfully, Dannah provides guidance for all of us who want our girls to enjoy their childhoods and cherish the memories from this sweet time in their lives.

DonnaVanLiere
New York Times bestselling author of
Finding Grace and The Christmas Shoes

As the dad to five daughters, I know the importance of the little. This book is a welcomed friend that comes alongside parents to shine Gods light on a darkened cultural path.

ChrisFabry, host of Chris Fabry Live!
ChrisFabry.com

This book is an answer to my prayersDannah gives us a realistic picture of what is pulling at the heart strings of our tween daughters

Do you need help in raising a self-confident, flourishing, God-loving tween girl? Then I implore you, please read this book!

FernNichols
founder and president,
Moms In Touch International

Dannah Gresh has provided a practical, biblically based resource to navigate the rapids of raising a tween girl. This book is filled with helpful suggestions that are doable for a busy mom like you. To make it even better, this book is fun to readmore like eating dark chocolate than eating broccoli. Enjoy!

Dr. JuliSlattery, family psychologist,
Focus on the Family;
author of No More Headaches:
Enjoying Sex and Intimacy in Marriage

Six Ways to

Keep the

Little

in Your Girl

Dannah Gresh

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photo Somos / Veer / Getty Images
Interior illustrations iStockphoto / mxtama, bpowelldesign
Interior photos in chapter 9 by Steve Tressler

SIX WAYS TO KEEP THE LITTLE IN YOUR GIRL
Copyright 2010 by Dannah Gresh
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gresh, Dannah.
Six ways to keep the little in your girl / Dannah Gresh.
p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-2979-0 (pbk.)
1. Mothers and daughtersReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Child rearingReligious aspectsChristianity.
3. GirlsReligious life. I. Title.
BV4529.18.G75 2010
248.8431dc22

2010012457

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 / VP-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my girlfriendsand everyone elses girlfriends
whove kept the little in their girls,
which helps me keep the little in mine

especially
Kim Helsel and Lori Weibel

Contents

Chapter One:
A Moms Greatest Compliment

Chapter Two:
A Moms Greatest Fears

Chapter Three:
Whats Your Connection IQ?

Chapter Four:
Why Connecting Matters

Chapter Five:
How Connecting Forms Values

Chapter Six:
Way #1: Give Her the Right Dolls to Play With

Chapter Seven:
Way #2: Celebrate Her Body by Punctuating Her Period

Chapter Eight:
Way #3: Unplug Her from a Plugged-In World

Chapter Nine:
Way #4: Unbrand Her When the World Tries to Buy and Sell Her

Chapter Ten:
Way #5: Become the Carpool Queen and Sleepover Diva

Chapter Eleven:
Way #6: Dream with Her About Her Prince

Chapter Twelve:
A Connecting Mom Is Not a Perfect Mom

D ear Sweet Mother

Thank you for picking up this much needed book for the sake of your little girl. Let me tell you that I read it and I loved it. I found that Dannah is the voice that is so needed to give parents the help they need to protect their girls. My heart was so full of thankfulness to God after I read this book. It is an answer to my prayers!

I have three granddaughters (and five grandsons), and all the things in this book are the things I pray about. I am deeply burdened for all that the world throws at them, and Dannah attacks each and every one of those concerns. As I read, there were times I said to myself: Oh, I hope she addresses such and such! And, by George, she did! And so graciously and yet forthrightly. I think you will find the same answers to the prayers on your heart for your daughter.

Let me tell you how you might enjoy the book by sharing with you how I did. I loved praying the prayers. They were powerful! And Dannah includes so much helpful information: resources, stories, encouragement, challenges, and strategies, as well as the wonderful prayers. She is on this journey with us as she raises her two daughters, Lexi and Autumn, and you can feel that as she writes. We must support one another, and Dannah issues a joint battle cry! She cries out along with me, Satan, you cannot have our girls!

I believe dads should read this book as well. (Oh, I so wish I could express on paper what is bursting in my heart.)

I guess the bottom line is this: Do you need help in raising a self-confident, flourishing, God-loving tween girl? Then I implore you, please read this book! Dannah gives us a realistic picture of what is pulling at the heart strings of our tween daughters. Her extensive research, biblical truths, recommended resources, and practical, hands-on helps will bring hope, encouragement, and direction as you raise this priceless treasureyour daughter.

God bless you, dear mom.

Fern Nichols
Founder and president, Moms In Touch International
momsintouch.org

B ecoming what I ama mom who shows other moms how to connect to their daughtersdidnt happen by chance. I started praying for it when I was 19.

Why 19? Let me back up to a really critical part of my story. And it could be that parts of it may sound oddly familiar to you as you look back at yours.

I was 15 years old, a perfectly well-adjusted, well-loved Christian teenager. While attending a conservative Christian high school, I remained active in a very loving missionary-driven church. On weekdays, I stood solemn and tall in my wool skirt that covered my knees while I sung great hymns of the faith like It Is Well with My Soul and learned the commandments of God in chapel. On Sunday and Wednesday nights, I donned my corduroys and sang along to choruses like God Is So Good accompanied by guitar, and I learned to have a love relationship with Jesus.

I dont discount the critical importance of either of these discipling experiences. From my school, I learned to serve my God. From my church, I learned to love Him. At that tender age, I did the only thing I felt I could do with these two overwhelming certainties of service and loveI signed up to be a missionary for Child Evangelism Fellowship.