I think the more I mother, the more I realize that every child is different and times change, making it a challenge to help my children, especially my girls, live well-adjusted lives with integrity and honor. I’ve advocated allowing my girls to dress up and experience their life as a child. We have had some run-ins with self-esteem, but for the most part I believe they understand they are empowered to be and accomplish anything.
Princess Recovery
The media seems to belittle a person’s worth. I am appalled by how many women seem to think their worth rests in they’re outer beauty. I hope that I am raising all of my children with the understanding that they have the strength, intelligence and spirit to be beautiful within themselves.
Princess Recovery Book Review
Princess Recovery by Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD. offers examples and advice on how we can all raise independent, confident girls. She says:
“We are living in a time when sexualized images of girls and woman are at al all-time high. Parents are not always aware of how to negotiate the messages and it is impossible to avoid all things pink and frilly. This book provides guidance to help parents intervene early, and, hopefully, teach their girls that anything is possible and that they can be and do anything that they set their minds to do.”
I appreciated this book. I felt it offered advice that would be easy to implement.
Hartstein identifies and outlines the messages being sent to girls (and boys), namely:
- That girls and boys are fundamentally different
- That girls should be pretty
- That more stuff makes you a better person
- That girls will get rescued and don’t have to take care of themselves
- That being hot is very, very important
I don’t know that I have a great voice. I’m not really out of the closet for Women’s Rights. In fact, I think that movement may have been where women went wrong. Sure, we have gained success, but are we any less narrowly defined as we were in 1946? This being said, I think Kim Kardashian is a poor role model for anyone. I’m not saying how she became famous was wrong; after all, she was doing something we all do (minus the video-taping of it), but to continue fame and being positioned as a sexual object isn’t something I want for my daughters.
This book is a great guide, and I found that perhaps Princess Recovery applied more to myself than my daughters.
About the Book
Raising independent, confident girls today is not easy – but concerned parents can curb the outside world’s influence on their daughters. With expert child psychologist’s Dr. Hartstein’s unique program, parents can counteract society’s pressure without making their girls live in a bubble. “Princess Recovery” will help parents raise strong, sweet daughters when they: encourage them to pursue their passion with industry and intelligence; establish high but realistic expectations of themselves and their future; provide context for problematic influences – from the media to prissy peers; and, build a mutual trust that will withstand adolescent growing pains. With this plan, parents can bring balance, confidence, and self-sufficiency into their daughters’ lives without denying them a modern, vibrant childhood.
About the Author
Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, child and adolescent psychologist, is a regular correspondent for The Early Show. She has also appeared on Fox News, The Today Show, and Headline News. Dr. Hartstein uses a variety of treatment approaches that promote strong self-awareness, distress tolerance, and acceptance. She lives in New York City.
*I recieved Princess Recovery in order to facilitate an honest review. The opinions, where expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by the sponsor. Others experiences may vary.