more from BUG

(short for Bringing Up Girls)

There is so much more I could include in these cliff notes, but, in hopes that you'll actually read those things I do pull out, I'll try and keep it modified . . . :)

-Your children’s successes or failures in many of life’s endeavors will depend on the quality of the relationships you share during their childhood years. Indeed, how they navigate the storms of adolescence will be influenced directly by the security of that bond.

-Mom, you are indispensable. The start your baby gets in life is in your hands—and in your voice and in your heart. What a wonderful privilege and responsibility it is to welcome her with open arms. That little bundle arrives straight from the hand of the Creator as His precious gift.

-Maternal desire is not, for any woman, all there is. But for many of us, it is an important part of who we are.

-If attachment is the goal of parenting, and it certainly is, that objective is achieved by expressing genuine love, affection, and dedication, combined with reasonable discipline, defined limits, and firm leadership.

-From where I sit today, I can say that nothing, and I mean nothing, from my children's childhoods turned out to be more significant than the hours I spent with my little family.

A note to Daddy's:

• If you want to connect with your little girls, and even those who are not so little, you need to spend one-on-one time with them.
• Look for anything that will bring your daughter into your world or you into hers. While you are at it, tell her you love her every time you are together. You will be her hero forever.
• Never, ever, make fun of her.
• Be home for dinner on time. Very important.
• Surprise her by showing up at her school for lunch, bearing Happy Meals or pizza.
• Never permit her to talk back rudely—to you or to her mother.
• Don’t miss a recital, concert, play, or any other performance of hers. Not now. Not until she graduates.
• Don’t let her play you and her mother against each other.
• Never call her names. No matter how mad you are. No matter what she did. If you do, she’ll remember it for the rest of her life.
• Let her see, by the way you treat your wife, the way a man is supposed to treat a woman.
• Teach her how to look a boy in the eye and say “No.”
• Wait up for her. Knowing Dad will be greeting her at the door has a very positive effect on her decision-making process.