A truly unbeatable resource: My Review of "Bringing up Girls" by Dr. James Dobson
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (Softcover, May 2012)
Parents everywhere can rejoice! Help is on the way to aid you in understanding the inner-workings of your daughter, courtesy of Dr. James Dobson. Newly released in paperback form, Bringing Up Girls offers a wealth of knowledge not only to parents, but to teachers, mentors, church leaders, and any one else who has a role in raising females in today's complex society. Dr. Dobson tackles difficult subjects such as decisions about love and sex and dating, how to handle peer pressure, how to handle eating disorders, and the differences between girls and boys.
I truly believe that Bringing Up Girls offers one of the best resources today on raising girls. As a father, I admit that I am often baffled by the inner workings of the female mind, and I greatly appreciated the straight-forward manner in which this book is written. The book is laid out in a logical format, and is very easy to read, whether you want to read one chapter at a time over a period of weeks, or whether you want to read it all at once. The book is filled with fascinating statistics and appears to rely on solid research in describing such things as gender differences or the important role of fathers in children's lives. I also greatly appreciated Dr. Dobson's firm stance on things like the importance of teaching abstinence, something that is all too lacking in today's culture.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars. It not only has found a permanent place on my own shelves, but I will be recommending other parents make sure to purchase this valuable resource.
Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher for the purposes of this unbiased review.
Dr. James Dobson is the Founder and President of Family Talk, a nonprofit organization that produces his radio program, “Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk.” He is the author of more than 30 books dedicated to the preservation of the family, including The New Dare to Discipline; Love for a Lifetime; Life on the Edge; Love Must Be Tough; The New Strong-Willed Child; When God Doesn’t Make Sense; Bringing Up Boys; Marriage Under Fire; Bringing Up Girls; and, most recently, Head Over Heels. 
I read this one before my daughter's first birthday (she's currently 28 months). I have never read anything by Dobson before, and honestly, didn't know too much about him. I have heard a lot of negative comments in regards to what he encourages parents to do in raising their children. These comments usually come from more attachment parenting mothering. While I lean towards more to that philosophy when it comes to raising my children, I was left dumbfounded at their comments after reading this book. If anything, Dobson encourages attachment to your child and nurturing their needs. I'm interested in reading his "Boys" version.
ReplyDeleteI think this book also helped me in many ways. I grew up with a lot of hurt from family members--a lot of things that Dobson said NOT to do to your daughter. I found myself agreeing with him on so many things. I even told my husband to never do/say certain things to our daughter as it will remain with her forever. And make a point to do/say certain things to her, because they will remain forever, also. Because all of those hurtful things stick with you. I know they still stick with me.
I hear what you are saying about having heard negative comments from people about Dr. Dobson, and I agree that this book deserves a look as it is chock-full of great guidance!
DeleteI'm glad that the book helped you make sense of some of the hurt you experienced from family members growing up. It's crazy how the people who are meant to love us can do us a world of hurt. Thank the Lord that he is there with us every step of the way and brings healing to that pain. I hope that this book brings me one step closer to being the father my 3 kids need me to be. Parenting is tough work, eh? :)
Parenting is the toughest job ever! It's also the best job. :)
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