Helping your smart girl make the most of the school year isn’t always easy. This resource guide will help point you to a multitude of resources to use when faced with a challenging parenting situation. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered!
When Your Daughter is Being Bullied
Bullying can take many forms that are sometimes difficult to spot. With the prevalence of technology and social media in today’s kids’ hands, bullying often takes place in silence, meaning our girls may hurt in silence, as well. As parents, we must learn to see the signs of bullying and how to react.
Check out these great articles for more information:
How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents
What To Do If Your Child Is Being Bullied And Resources
When Your Daughter is the Bully
We know to be on the lookout for signs of bullying, but it’s hard to swallow the idea that our daughter might be the bully. If you suspect (or are certain) that your girl is being intentionally and repeatedly mean to others, you might be unsure of how to deal. A little research and forethought can go a long way towards a resolution.
For more information, read:
What to Do If Your Child Is Bullying Other Kids
10 Ways to Discipline Your Child for Bullying Others
When Your Daughter has Special Needs
If your girl has special needs, parenting her through the school year can get even more complicated. Thankfully, there are several resources out there for helping you navigate special needs parenting; consider exploring these:
A Guide to the Individualized Education Program
115 Best Resources for Parents of Children with Special Needs
When Your Daughter is Having a Hard Time Making Friends
If your daughter has trouble making friends, the first thing you should know is that she’s not alone.
These articles might help you guide her:
The importance of childhood friendships, and how to nurture them
How to help kids make friends:12 evidence-based tips
8 Ways to Help Your Middle-Schooler Connect With Other Kids
When Your Daughter has Friend Troubles
Maybe your daughter isn’t having trouble making new friends, but she’s having problems with the friends she already has. This situation can make parents feel helpless.
When our girls’ friendships are under strain, it’s hard to know how to proceed.
Here are some resources to help your daughter keep her relationships healthy:
Common Friend Problems Tweens Encounter
Friendship Problems: When Your Child Is Fighting with Her Best Friend
Age-by-age guide to getting your kid to talk to you
When Your Daughter is Developing an Interest in Romantic Relationships
As our girls get older, we sometimes begin to dread the idea that they’ll form romantic attachments. There are several reasons for reticence on parents’ part when it comes to crushes, boys, or other romantic issues where girls are concerned. As the school year begins, our girls may have more access to boys and increased peer pressure to engage in relationships.
For some ideas of what’s normal and how you should react so that you promote healthy ideas about relationships, read:
How to Handle Your Child’s First Crush
Talking to Your Daughter About Dating, Sex, and Peer Pressure
That Crucial “Talk” with Daughters about Relationships
When Your Daughter is Curious About Her Body
We know speaking openly with our daughters helps them learn to embrace and care for their bodies. Ideally, these talks start when our kids are young. Start talking to your child about her body when she’s a toddler or preschool-aged; this gives you time to get over the embarrassment and awkwardness, so your daughter knows it’s okay to be open about her body.
Many great books exist to help:
Who Has What?: All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies, by Robie H. Harris.
Hair in Funny Places, by Babette Cole.
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, by Valerie Schafer.
When Your Daughter is Struggling with Reading
It’s difficult to help a struggling reader improve her skills, because the challenge involved often makes her think she does not enjoy reading. Studies show that reading for fun is fantastic for the brain; it helps develop not only reading skills but math and emotional skills, as well. To help your daughter enjoy reading more, consider the following suggestions:
When Your Daughter Hates Math
Math is a scary subject for many girls (and their parents). There’s a pervasive view that math is hard and therefore intimidating. Increasing your daughter’s confidence before she even encounters that ‘math is hard’ mindset is a great way to prevent your daughter from developing that deep-seated hatred of math. Start them young, using several techniques to show them just how fun math can be:
The 8 Best Math Apps For Preschoolers That Teach Basic Arithmetic
When Your Daughter Has a Big Test
Helping your daughter prepare for tests can help stave off test anxiety by assisting her to feel more prepared, which ultimately can help her perform better. Feeling anxious at the thought of taking a test is very common for kids and adults alike. Use this information to help your daughter with her test anxiety:
28 Ideas for a High Protein Breakfast
When Your Daughter is Experiencing Big Feelings
Some girls are more likely than others to be impacted by “big feelings,” a broad term for extreme emotions. As parents, it’s our job to help our kids understand and deal with their big feelings. Teach Your Daughter to Cope with big feelings with tips from these resources:
Teaching Kids How To Cope With Their ‘Big Feelings’
Llama Llama: Mad at Mama, by Anna Dewdney
The Feelings Book: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions
When Your Daughter is Facing Adversity
When life isn’t easy for our daughters, it can be hard for us. There are lots of challenges that come along with the start of the school year. As parents, it’s our job to prepare our girls to face adversity and to meet life’s challenges with confidence. Learn About How Kids Can Face Adversity and Win:
10 Tips For Raising Resilient Kids
Raising Resilient Children, by Robert B. Brooks and Sam Goldstein
When Your Daughter Needs Encouragement
Sometimes our girls need to hear that they’re great, that they can achieve their goals, and that they can succeed. Research out there does show that empty praise does more harm than good, but the right kind of encouragement can go a long way, especially when our girls are feeling down on themselves. Use these resources to learn how to praise appropriately:
Praising Children with Low Self-Esteem Can Backfire.
A ‘confidence code’ for girls: 5 ways to build up our daughters
For When Your Daughter is Bored
Now that your girl is back to school, you hopefully hear less, “I’m booooored!” from her. However, it’s still bound to happen occasionally. Here are some ideas for keeping her busy without resorting to allowing her to binge-watch YouTube:
Paper Craft Tutorials!, by Professor Gusto
When Your Daughter Stays Home Alone
As our girls get older, we begin to wonder when they’ll be able to stay home alone. Ideas have changed over the past few decades, so it’s important to know what the laws say.
Learn the laws about leaving kids alone and some tips for beginning this stage here:
Home Alone: A Kid’s Guide To Playing It Safe When On Your Own
When Your Daughter is Spending time on Internet/Social Media
Of course the Internet has a lot to offer our kids, but there are a lot of potential downsides, too. The sheer volume of content, different apps, and the ever-changing nature of this technology make it a tricky topic for parents. The following resources can help narrow your options for support:
The 12 Apps That Every Parent Of A Teen Should Know About
The best parental control apps for Android and iPhone 2021
When Your Daughter is Dealing with Big Life Changes
Advice for Moving With Children
11 Rules for Helping Your Child Deal With Divorce
Helping Your Child Deal With Death
Parenting is not for the faint of heart. But remember that so many resources exist to help navigate difficult parent situations. Utilize the endless amounts of research dedicated to raising children well, and remember, you are not alone in this endeavor!