Something that has struck me while reading so far is how delicate it is to have these conversations with our kids. We want to prepare them for living in a society where sexism thrives, but not frighten them or make them feel victimized. We want to help nurture realistic expectations for romantic relationships, but not take away from the beauty and joy of romantic love. We want to encourage self-acceptance, but protect them from bullying and hate, etc. I appreciate that each chapter gives concrete steps for parents, including guidance on what to say and how to say it.
I particularly appreciated ch.5 because it really validated what I am seeing with teens. The young people are sexting ya'll! And they need the adults in their lives to be able to talk to them about it, without judgment.
I plan to attend the conversation and NOW plan to buy this book. Your outline of each chapter is helpful to understand the overall picture and the individual topics addressed.
First I want to say I also truly appreciate that each chapter gives concrete steps to take at the end. So helpful. Also, this book is making me think SO much about so many things haha, in a good way of course. These chapters have actually brought a lot to my attention that I didn't previously think about - and as a woman and a mother of two girls I find myself frustrated by how much sexism still very much exists. My four year old has recently started watching Disney movies and the chapter on media really got me thinking about the roles of the princesses in these stories, the way theyre portrayed, and the messages this sends. I appreciate all the guidance in the book regarding how to point these things out to our kids so they're not left to internalize these messages themselves.
The chapter on beauty also brought up a lot for me. I don't wear much make up, but I definitely find myself thinking sometimes that I "need it" when going out. In my 20s that thinking was even more prominent but thinking about it now it's frustrating these expectations exist at all. I do tell my daughters I put on makeup sometimes to "feel fancy" but now I want to feel fancy without it too haha
So glad you are reading along Deanna! I agree, I think the content is very relevant to women in general, even if you are not raising girls. My daughter is 5 and it has been so fascinating to watch her develop into her gender identity. I don't consider myself to be very traditionally feminine, especially when it comes to make-up and clothing. But my daughter is all about pink and dresses and being "the prettiest". I've been like where is she getting this? But the book reminded me of how insidious all the gender messaging is, and how sensitive our brains are at that age. I've also noticed that at 5, my daughter already has a lot of questions about romantic love and "boyfriends" whereas my son, who is 9, shows no interest or worry in that yet. It really highlights to me how girls are receiving that messaging at such a young age. And of course those questions trigger a lot of emotion in me!
Yes SO insidious and I think that's one thing this book has really brought to my attention. I can imagine all the emotions those questions trigger...I have emotions just reading that and the book haha. My girls are not in school yet either and that's one of my worries moving forward is the amount of messaging they'll receive outside of my home that I have no control over. So I'm grateful the book gives me the language to use to have these important conversations.
Reading the book now and wanted to say a big thank you for choosing a HAES informed book-it was so refreshing that the author included discussion about weight stigma and challenging myths around health and weight, as well as how to raise body positive kids. Also this quote stood out to me “Your body image matters to your daughters a lot-girls are watching what we eat, how we look and how we treat others to determine what they should do.”
This looks great Amber 👍 Unfortunately the meet up is at 11pm here in the UK, will they be around that sort of time every time you meet? Will get the book anyway, it looks very interesting...
Hey Eva, I am so sorry, I didn't think about the international timezones! Honestly, I am still getting used to the fact that people are reading and participating in what I do here 🤣Would you be interested in watching it back as a recording maybe? I don't know how interesting that would be for folks but I am definitely willing to explore it. I will keep this in mind for future book clubs (which I am planning on!)
Something that has struck me while reading so far is how delicate it is to have these conversations with our kids. We want to prepare them for living in a society where sexism thrives, but not frighten them or make them feel victimized. We want to help nurture realistic expectations for romantic relationships, but not take away from the beauty and joy of romantic love. We want to encourage self-acceptance, but protect them from bullying and hate, etc. I appreciate that each chapter gives concrete steps for parents, including guidance on what to say and how to say it.
I particularly appreciated ch.5 because it really validated what I am seeing with teens. The young people are sexting ya'll! And they need the adults in their lives to be able to talk to them about it, without judgment.
I plan to attend the conversation and NOW plan to buy this book. Your outline of each chapter is helpful to understand the overall picture and the individual topics addressed.
Awesome! I am glad the guide is helpful. I am working on the 2nd part as we speak :)
yay see you there!
First I want to say I also truly appreciate that each chapter gives concrete steps to take at the end. So helpful. Also, this book is making me think SO much about so many things haha, in a good way of course. These chapters have actually brought a lot to my attention that I didn't previously think about - and as a woman and a mother of two girls I find myself frustrated by how much sexism still very much exists. My four year old has recently started watching Disney movies and the chapter on media really got me thinking about the roles of the princesses in these stories, the way theyre portrayed, and the messages this sends. I appreciate all the guidance in the book regarding how to point these things out to our kids so they're not left to internalize these messages themselves.
The chapter on beauty also brought up a lot for me. I don't wear much make up, but I definitely find myself thinking sometimes that I "need it" when going out. In my 20s that thinking was even more prominent but thinking about it now it's frustrating these expectations exist at all. I do tell my daughters I put on makeup sometimes to "feel fancy" but now I want to feel fancy without it too haha
So glad you are reading along Deanna! I agree, I think the content is very relevant to women in general, even if you are not raising girls. My daughter is 5 and it has been so fascinating to watch her develop into her gender identity. I don't consider myself to be very traditionally feminine, especially when it comes to make-up and clothing. But my daughter is all about pink and dresses and being "the prettiest". I've been like where is she getting this? But the book reminded me of how insidious all the gender messaging is, and how sensitive our brains are at that age. I've also noticed that at 5, my daughter already has a lot of questions about romantic love and "boyfriends" whereas my son, who is 9, shows no interest or worry in that yet. It really highlights to me how girls are receiving that messaging at such a young age. And of course those questions trigger a lot of emotion in me!
Yes SO insidious and I think that's one thing this book has really brought to my attention. I can imagine all the emotions those questions trigger...I have emotions just reading that and the book haha. My girls are not in school yet either and that's one of my worries moving forward is the amount of messaging they'll receive outside of my home that I have no control over. So I'm grateful the book gives me the language to use to have these important conversations.
Thanks for facilitating this discussion Amber!
Reading the book now and wanted to say a big thank you for choosing a HAES informed book-it was so refreshing that the author included discussion about weight stigma and challenging myths around health and weight, as well as how to raise body positive kids. Also this quote stood out to me “Your body image matters to your daughters a lot-girls are watching what we eat, how we look and how we treat others to determine what they should do.”
Yes, I appreciated the way weight and diet was handled! And the reminder of the importance of parents doing their own work around this.
This looks great Amber 👍 Unfortunately the meet up is at 11pm here in the UK, will they be around that sort of time every time you meet? Will get the book anyway, it looks very interesting...
Hey Eva, I am so sorry, I didn't think about the international timezones! Honestly, I am still getting used to the fact that people are reading and participating in what I do here 🤣Would you be interested in watching it back as a recording maybe? I don't know how interesting that would be for folks but I am definitely willing to explore it. I will keep this in mind for future book clubs (which I am planning on!)