Friday Five for 6/29/12

Summer is here and I've been thinking about things to occupy some of the free time my daughter and I will have. We don't have as much as some since we aren't taking the summer off from school, but we have plenty just the same and I want to make the most of it.

Teen/pre-teen girls today get so many mixed messages - or just blatantly BAD messages - about who they are supposed to be and how they should dress and act. The best solution I have for that is quality time with their mother, father and/or other Godly women and men who can set an example. So, today's Friday Five is:

Five Things You Can Do With/For Your Daughter This Summer

1. Take her to lunch/tea.
Let her lead the conversation. Dress up a little if she's interested in that sort of thing. Really listen. The more you know about where her thought process is, the better prepared you can be for whatever comes your way. I read something the other day - listening to the small, every day things your child tells you, sets them up to be able to come to you later with the big things.

2. Send her to Bible camp.
Apologetics Press has a great one in Alabama. There's another one at Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee. I am sure there are many more that have escaped my memory. Sometimes young people in the church feel alone and different from the other kids they know. Here they have the chance to meet new children and adults who share their beliefs.

3. Get her reading.
Here's a mini-five (within the Friday Five) of books you could read with your daughter. They might just strengthen her faith and yours!
A. Everyday Princess: Daughter of the King by Sheila K. butt
B. Gifts: Girls in Fellowship and Team Study by Hannah Colley (now Giselbach)
C. God's Girls - Secrets of Leadership for Young Women by Teresa Hampton
D. Real Life Lessons for Teens by Randy Simmons
E. Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty by Dannah Gresh


4. Take her to area-wide church events aimed at girls and women.
Take her with you to that Ladies' Day you have planned or, better yet, find a Girl's Day near you. Every year, my daughter and I attend the one at Woodson Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville. We love it. She and I have both learned many wonderful things from them and she enjoys being with the large number of girls her age who are focused on God and I enjoy being with all the moms who are in the same child-raising place that I am.

5. Plan a Daddy-Daughter Date
Her father is the standard by which she will judge future suitors. If he can show her how a gentleman treats a lady, she'll be far less likely to settle for less.


This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. Just one mom's opinion. Granted many of you have girls who have not yet reached this age or maybe you are raising only boys, or maybe your kids are grown. Either way, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your best tips for raising Godly youngsters or young men (by email or through the comments section below) and, if I get enough of them, they may be featured in a future Friday Five.




-by Erica
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad