Preparing girls for "girl world"

Rosalind Wiseman, Author & Educator, shares advice for parents on how to help prepare their daughters for "girl world" and how to help them not be controlled by it
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Preparing girls for "girl world"

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For a lot of really good reasons, parents want to prepare or prevent their daughter from being a part of girl world. And as a teacher, I often feel that way too. Girls are going in it and they're controlled by it, and I'm like, please, please do not do this. Please do not be so controlled by this thing that is really stripping you of who you are as a person. The unfortunate thing is girls are in girl world because it's part of our culture. And to be able to prevent it is impossible. But what I believe strongly is that age-appropriately, from the time your daughter is about 5, to be able to have her tie being a strong girl with things that she's good with, that she's good about, that she can feel proud of her accomplishments - those are all things that can all counteract girl world. The more she invests in the superficial things that girl world is telling her to value herself about, the more trouble she's going to get herself into. And I really need to challenge parents about this. And I will challenge mothers about this in particular about the magazines we read that are sort of our guilty pleasures that are all like the celebrity magazines or who's lost the weight the fastest. Well, don't do it. Don't have it in the house. Because what you are doing by reading those magazines is role modeling what you value. You are showing what you value. And what you value are the messages of girl world that have grown up to be mom world. And that stuff is really powerful for girls. So don't read those magazines. Because you are really sending toxic messages to your daughter when you do that.

Rosalind Wiseman, Author & Educator, shares advice for parents on how to help prepare their daughters for "girl world" and how to help them not be controlled by it

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Rosalind Wiseman

Author & Educator

Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally recognized expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying, social justice, and ethical leadership. Rosalind is the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World, the groundbreaking, fully-revised edition of her bestselling book that was the basis for the movie Mean Girls. Her follow-up book, Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads, addresses the social hierarchies and conflicts among parents and is now being made into a major motion picture by New Line Cinema. In 2010, Rosalind published the  young adult novel Boys, Girls, & Other Hazardous Materials, which was recognized by the American Library Association as one of their Most Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults.  She is now writing a set of companion books for boys and their parents, scheduled for publication in the Fall of 2013. In addition, Rosalind has written the Owning Up Curriculum, a comprehensive social justice program for grades 6-12 which is in widespread use across the country.  She writes the monthly “Ask Rosalind” column in Family Circle magazine, and is regular contributor to several blogs and websites. Also, Rosalind is a spokesperson for LG’s Text-Education Council that aims to inform parents about responsible monitoring of teen cell phone usage. Each year Rosalind works with tens of thousands of students, educators, parents, counselors, coaches, and administrators to create communities based on the belief that each person has a responsibility to treat themselves and others with dignity. In 2011, she was one of the principal speakers at the White House Summit on Bullying.  Other audiences have included the American School Counselors Association, International Chiefs of Police, American Association of School Administrators, and countless schools throughout the U.S. and abroad. National media regularly depends on Rosalind as the expert on ethical leadership, media literacy, and bullying prevention.  She is a consultant for Cartoon Network’s Speak Up, Stop Bullying campaign. She is a frequent guest on the Today Show, Anderson Cooper 360 and Dateline.  She has been profiled in The New York Times, People, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA Today, Oprah, Nightline, CNN, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio affiliates throughout the country. Rosalind holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Occidental College. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and two sons.

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