Growing Great Girls has additional input from Ian’s wife Mary. Following a similar format to Growing Great Boys, the book focuses on how to help your daughter be self-reliant and confident, with “inner resilience and outer grace.” There are chapters that look at mapping the future, at dealing with new babies, on what girls need, on developing the all important self-esteem, on the impact of our current culture, on the importance of family, on setting limits, the middle years, the pre-adolescent years, teen years, single parenting, the special role of mothers and fathers, and on raising a strong girl with plenty of character.
Both books are lighthearted and easy to read, avoiding didacticism. In the world of parenting, there are no masters — only apprentices, and the key teachers are our children. The authors recognise that keenly and encourage readers to listen and trust their children to provide the answers. Each chapter contains a “hot tip” with easy and specific advice to try, an “Action Lab” set of practical things you can do, and a summary of the chapter, which is a list that should be revisited regularly (as it’s so easy to forget good theory in the daily chaos and challenge of parenting).
For parents of boys and girls, the two books together form a terrific bible of parenting that will be referred to and re-used again and again. Each of these books provides an excellent guide that looks specifically at the particular needs of each sex, and how to ensure that your child grows up feeling loved, supported, confident in who he or she is, and strong in the face of an often challenging world. Growing Great Boys and Growing Great Girls will give parents a deeper understanding of their children, and a better sense of how to connect, and develop traditions that will last for generations.
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