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hsmom
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| Posted: Jan 18 2008 at 7:25am | IP Logged
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Good morning all, I have searched the messages here and can not seem to find anything on books for girls growing up and going through puberty. (I know it's got to be there and I just can't find them.) So, does anyone have any really good book suggestions for this time period prior to puberty to prepare for puberty for us to read together, or just for me to read as a guide.
Thanks in advance, Valerie
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 18 2008 at 8:33am | IP Logged
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Hey Valerie.
We're in the same boat! My dd and I are reading together Karen Andreola's Beautiful Girlhood. I wish I could give you a full review of this book, but my dd and I are just starting it. We/she is experiencing all of the typical behavior issues that we have been discussing here on the boards that seem to be common to 11yo's. So far, we have really been enjoying the book - she enjoys that it is giving voice to some of these more "grown up" feelings she is experiencing, and I enjoy that the book has a very gentle tone that doesn't scare, but seems to convey a sense of awe and respect for God's design of the girl transitioning more to a young lady.
I'd love to hear what other mom's here might advise for reading, or any other reviews on Beautiful Girlhood.
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teachingmyown
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A book we have found very helpful is the American Girl book The Care and Keeping of You. It walks them through the various changes and feelings. It teaches them how to take care of their changing bodies. I like that it doesn't go into the "birds and the bees" at all. It is focused only onwhat is going on with the girl.
I have heard some complain that it is too "graphic". It is a little shocking at first, but it is not unnecessary. The drawings are all cartoon. I would recommend looking at it first. It is certainly a "private" book, to be kept out of siblings hands.
My daughter has learned a lot from it. I know she still refers to it.
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Red Cardigan
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When I needed to do this with my girls, I ended up making up my own lessons. I copied some of the pics from my NFP book showing only the female "parts" and did a lesson with the two oldest to discuss the changes they were experiencing and what to expect with their cycles once they started. Since they were still quite young I focused only on the female body and told them that they would learn more about the specifics of reproduction when they were older; I emphasized God's design and the wonderful ability women have to become mothers according to His plan if that's their vocation. So far, when further questions have come up I've tried to figure out just what they want to know, answer that, and then reassure them that they can trust me to give them a bit more information when they're a little more mature.
My oldest DD started her cycles about six/eight months after our "talk." She has been very comfortable discussing everything she's feeling with me, including moodiness, cramps, headaches and hygiene. I think whatever book or material you use, the key is to be open, calm, and reassuring about the whole thing, so your girls will be able to turn to you for further guidance, advice, and soothing.
I really wish a good Catholic mom who is involved in NFP would write a non-graphic but thorough guideline to the female reproductive system that could be used by Catholic homeschoolers. When I reviewed and rejected other materials, even religious ones, it was because on the whole they seemed geared toward much older girls and discussed more specifics about pregnancy, the male role in reproduction, and so on than I felt was appropriate for young girls. Many of us prepare our daughters for their body's changes beginning at age ten or eleven so they won't be suddenly surprised by the onset of menstruation, but I don't think girls that young are ready for all the information about human reproduction that ends up in many books. To be fair, though, I don't think I saw either of the books mentioned on this thread at the time, despite searching for something like that!
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teachingmyown
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The book I recommended doesn't go into reproduction at all. I appreciated that as I prefer to use a Catholic resource for those discussions.
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Barbara C.
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I've heard that "The Period Book" by Karen Gravelle is pretty good, but I haven't checked it out myself. From what I have read on barnesandnoble.com it is targeted for girls 8 to 12 and does not get into sex. Although, there may be some graphics of the female anatomy, and I think there is something about what to expect if you ever need to go to the gynecologist.
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Barbara
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SallyT
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We also liked the American Girl book. I've used The Joyful Mysteries of Life (CHC sells it) for more "advanced" information, presented very gently and in keeping with Church teaching. My daughter started her period at 10, so it helped to have something that would deal with that (the AG book), without further information.
Sally
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hsmom
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 3:56pm | IP Logged
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Thanks ladies. I'll check into these using the library and then see which to buy. My dd will be 10 in May, and I thought I was jumping the gun, but obviously I'm not!
I'll be keeping my eye on this thread if anyone has any other book recommendations to add.
God bless, Valerie
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marihalojen
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Here is another thread that gives other reviews of the AG Book and several other books. It also links to other great threads about "The Talk" and such.
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Syncletica
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Here's a question:
What would you say to your 6 year old who expressly asks you how babies come out? She's VERY inquisitive and also very intelligent, with many things. She hasn't asked me recently, so I hope I've calmed her thoughts. But, now that I think of it, maybe she has asked me underhandedly. (Hope that's a word!) Just yesterday she asked me why doctors have to sometimes cut open mommies tummies to get the babies out. (A time previously she had said, "I thought of some way that babies come out. But I know it's not true. The doctor cuts open the mommy's tummy to get the baby out. But that's not true, right mommy?" I had to tell her that, actually, yes that is one way, and gave names of some of her friends who were born 'that way'.) In reply to her main question, though, I came right out and said that she's too young to know right now, but when she's a bit older I will explain it all to her. Is that what you would've said?
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teachingmom
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Hi Syncletica,
Actually, I have no problem discussing from a young age the question of how babies "get out." It's the question of how they "get in there" that worries me! 
Seriously, that question came up with my youngest child during my last pregnancy. (She was only 3.) I explained that God created women with a birth canal between the womb and the outside and that when the baby is ready to be born he or she travels down the birth canal and out through the opening between the mother's legs. I have to admit that they tend to think it's very weird the first time they hear that. The key, I think, is to not be embarrassed at all when you explain it.
You may decide that she's still too young to hear that, but I thought I'd share the way I handle it here, in case that eases your mind enough to go ahead and answer her question directly now. A book you might want to read with her to lead in to this conversation is Angel in the Water. My daughter, who I mentioned above, LOVED hearing that book again and again when I was expecting her baby sister.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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SallyT
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I have also never had a problem talking about birth -- I remember reading a T. Berry Brazelton book at some point in which he describes saying something like, "And a mother has a lovely place where a baby can grow and come out." And I always say something like that, telling them where, roughly it is, but not going into any more detail. We have had a good bit of "Why do I have a X, and HE has a Y?" which I've used simply to say that girls and boys grow up to be either mommies or daddies, and our bodies are made to help us do those things. (and they will know more in the fullness of time!)
My oldest was born by C-section, so all my kids have always known that some children are born that way. It's just always been part of her story, and we've always told our kids stories about their own births -- not nitty-gritty details, but just things we remember that were special about their coming into the world.
Sally
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Books??? girls growing up
