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

by Dannah Gresh

Overview

This timely resource equips you to counter our culture’s harmful messaging to girls with positive, biblical guidelines that allow your daughter to grow up the way God intended her to—happy and healthy.
 
Keeping your daughter from growing up too soon is every Christian parent’s battle. Dannah Gresh, founder of True Girl, shares six proactive ways you can win the fight for your daughter’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.            
 
Give Her the Right Toys to Play With
Learn how to select dolls and other toys that encourage creative play and spark imagination.
 
Celebrate Her Body by Punctuating Her Period
Teach her to see her body and its function as a beautiful reflection of God’s creation.
 
Unplug Her from a Plugged-In World
Protect her mental sobriety by setting reasonable limits on screen time and monitoring online activity.
 
Unbrand Her When the World Tries to Buy and Sell Her
Show her how to pursue inner beauty and reclaim the biblical value of contentment.
 
Become the Carpool Queen and Sleepover Diva
Help her form healthy friendships by staying actively involved in who she chooses to spend time with.
 
Dream with Her About God’s Future for Her
Plant and nurture a heart of purity in your daughter by promoting God’s design for relationships and intimacy.
 
Keep the “little” in your girl and prepare her for a big future with God.    
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736981958
Publisher:	Harvest House Publishers
Publication date:	07/05/2022
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,084,012
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dannah Gresh is an author, a speaker, and the creator of the True Girl live events. She has sold over 1.5 million books, including Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl, A Girl's Guide to Understanding Best Friends and Mean Girls, 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters, the bestselling And the Bride Wore White, and Lies Girls Believe. She and her husband live in Pennsylvania on a hobby farm. www.dannahgresh.com.
 

Table of Contents

Foreword 9

Introducing the Six Ways 11

Part 1 Becoming a Connecting Mom

Chapter 1 A Mom's Greatest Compliment 21

Chapter 2 A Mom's Greatest Fears 29

Chapter 3 What's Your Connection IQ? 39

Chapter 4 Why Connecting Matters 47

Chapter 5 How Connecting Forms Values 55

Part 2 Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl

Chapter 6 Way #1: Give Her the Right Dolls to Play With 65

Chapter 7 Way #2: Celebrate Her Body by Punctuating Her Period 79

Chapter 8 Way #3: Unplug Her from a Plugged-In World 89

Chapter 9 Way #4: Unbrand Her When the World Tries to Buy and Sell Her 105

Chapter 10 Way #5: Become the Carpool Queen and Sleepover Diva 119

Chapter 11 Way #6: Dream with Her About Her Prince 133

Chapter 12 A Connecting Mom Is Not a Perfect Mom 149

Acknowledgments 157

Notes 159

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“You’ve probably seen middle schoolers wearing more makeup than you do. How do you keep your daughter little in this growing-up-too-fast, social-media-crazed world? Dannah Gresh has done us all a favor by writing this book to help us raise our girls to be body confident and age appropriate. Dannah is not afraid to tackle hard questions about depression, sexting, dating, and eating disorders. Her stories, research, biblical wisdom, and practical advice will open your eyes. You can protect your daughter from harm, and this book will help you.”
—Arlene Pellicane, author of Screen Kids and Parents Rising, host of TheHappy Home podcast

“A practical, biblically based resource to navigate the rapids of raising a tween girl.”
—Juli Slattery, psychologist and founder Authentic Intimacy

“I have three granddaughters (and five grandsons), and the topics in this book are the things I pray about. I am deeply burdened about everything the world throws at young girls, and Dannah confronts each of those concerns. As I read, I sometimes thought, Oh, I hope she addresses such and such. And by George, she did—and so graciously and forthrightly! I think you will find the same answers to the prayers on your heart for your daughter.”
—Fern Nichols, founder, Moms in Prayer International

“Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl is full of invigorating Scripture, relatable stories, wisely curated science, and practical application to make the most of our daughters’ childhoods while preparing them for the future. The first edition was helpful and effective when my teenagers were young, but now I have four more children ten and under, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to nurture them well. Just when I was feeling weary, distracted, and overwhelmed, the revised edition of this book jolted me awake (in a good way) with a renewed vision for the impact I can have on my precious children. I feel motivated to keep a warm heart and equipped to make wise choices. Oh, God’s amazing grace—I’m excited to begin again!”
—Laura Booz, author of Expect Something Beautiful

“Our culture obsesses over secular habits and indulgences that promise freedom but ultimately lead to bondage and shame. Dannah is well-versed in compassion and urgency for our younger generation of women to be lovers and doers of God’s Word. She is uniquely gifted to create a bridge for moms and daughters to engage with God’s Word in an effective, biblical, and relatable way. In this book, Dannah graciously invites mothers and daughters on a discipleship journey of deep, spiritual formation that leads to freedom from shame and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. A must-read!”
—Amanda Kassian, founder and director of Seen Ministry, Alberta, Canada

“If you feel like you’re ready to give up on the mission of parenting, this book is for you. As a mama of four, I need daily practical wisdom to nurture my relationship with my children. It’s not an easy job to stand against a seductive culture that is trying to entice the younger generation. In this book, Dannah calls us to rise up and be intentional as we remind our daughters of their true value, identity, and purpose. Every chapter is filled with down-to-earth practical examples, current research, and stepping-stones that will encourage you to consistently dig deep to guide your child’s heart in a biblical way. There is hope for our girls, and there is hope for us.”
—Alejandra Slemin, cohost of Revive Our Hearts’ Grounded

Editorial Reviews

You’ve probably seen middle schoolers wearing more makeup than you do. How do you keep your daughter little in this growing-up-too-fast, social-media-crazed world? Dannah Gresh has done us all a favor by writing this book to help us raise our girls to be body confident and age appropriate. Dannah is not afraid to tackle hard questions about depression, sexting, dating, and eating disorders. Her stories, research, biblical wisdom, and practical advice will open your eyes. You can protect your daughter from harm, and this book will help you.”
—Arlene Pellicane, author of Screen Kids and Parents Rising, host of TheHappy Home podcast

“A practical, biblically based resource to navigate the rapids of raising a tween girl.”
—Juli Slattery, psychologist and founder Authentic Intimacy

“I have three granddaughters (and five grandsons), and the topics in this book are the things I pray about. I am deeply burdened about everything the world throws at young girls, and Dannah confronts each of those concerns. As I read, I sometimes thought, Oh, I hope she addresses such and such. And by George, she did—and so graciously and forthrightly! I think you will find the same answers to the prayers on your heart for your daughter.”
—Fern Nichols, founder, Moms in Prayer International

“Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl is full of invigorating Scripture, relatable stories, wisely curated science, and practical application to make the most of our daughters’ childhoods while preparing them for the future. The first edition was helpful and effective when my teenagers were young, but now I have four more children ten and under, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to nurture them well. Just when I was feeling weary, distracted, and overwhelmed, the revised edition of this book jolted me awake (in a good way) with a renewed vision for the impact I can have on my precious children. I feel motivated to keep a warm heart and equipped to make wise choices. Oh, God’s amazing grace—I’m excited to begin again!”
—Laura Booz, author of Expect Something Beautiful

“Our culture obsesses over secular habits and indulgences that promise freedom but ultimately lead to bondage and shame. Dannah is well-versed in compassion and urgency for our younger generation of women to be lovers and doers of God’s Word. She is uniquely gifted to create a bridge for moms and daughters to engage with God’s Word in an effective, biblical, and relatable way. In this book, Dannah graciously invites mothers and daughters on a discipleship journey of deep, spiritual formation that leads to freedom from shame and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. A must-read!”
—Amanda Kassian, founder and director of Seen Ministry, Alberta, Canada

“If you feel like you’re ready to give up on the mission of parenting, this book is for you. As a mama of four, I need daily practical wisdom to nurture my relationship with my children. It’s not an easy job to stand against a seductive culture that is trying to entice the younger generation. In this book, Dannah calls us to rise up and be intentional as we remind our daughters of their true value, identity, and purpose. Every chapter is filled with down-to-earth practical examples, current research, and stepping-stones that will encourage you to consistently dig deep to guide your child’s heart in a biblical way. There is hope for our girls, and there is hope for us.”
—Alejandra Slemin, cohost of Revive Our Hearts’ Grounded

From the Publisher