Raising Teen Girls in Today’s World: Expert Provides Tips

NEW YORK, NY(RUSHPRNEWS) May 8, 2007– Being a teen girl is anything but easy.   In today’s world, teen girls are forced to grapple with a host of issues — anxiety about school, friends, peer pressure, family life, trying to fit in – all while trying to figure out, in a time of rapid change, just who they really are. 

Teen expert Debra Beck can sympathize – and empathize.  Beck’s teen years were fraught with feelings of confusion, frustration and self-doubt. It wasn’t until her own daughters entered their teens did Beck realize that her experience wasn’t the exception, but the norm: times may have changed, but teen girls everywhere – her daughters included – were grappling with those very issues she had faced. 

Beck, author of My Feet Aren’t Ugly: A Girl’s Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out (Beaufort Books, April, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-825305-42-9, $12.95) maintains that one of the most difficult issues a teen faces is trying to figure out who they are:  “The teen years are a time of great and rapid change.  Teen girls in particular often get caught in-between – they are no longer children, but they are not yet adults. Too often, teen girls struggle with a variety of issues that stem from not being able to clearly define who they are.”   

So, what’s a parent of a teen girl to do?  Beck offers the following tips:

Be aware.

Know who your daughter’s friends are, encourage her to talk about her fears, her worries, her dreams, and her goals. Listen.  The best way to know what is on her mind is to ask her.

Encourage.

Encourage your daughter to get involved in activities – whether sports, creative pursuits, groups and organizations.  Don’t push your daughter to take part in an activity if she hesitates. 

Observe.

Look for any behavioral changes – withdrawing, not enjoying things she once enjoyed, weight loss, changes in eating or sleeping habits – and discuss your concerns. 

Accept

Accept your daughter just the way she is.  Tell her regularly what you love about her, what makes her special, and be supportive of her.  Positive reinforcement is a key building block of self esteem.

The founder of Spirited Youth, an organization which provides help, support and encouragement for young women, Debra Beck is a devoted mentor, sought-after presenter and leading expert on the issues facing teen girls. She lives in
Sedona, Arizona, and no longer shies away from open-toed shoes.  Beaufort Books is an independent book publisher headquartered in New York.  My Feet Aren’t Ugly will be available in better bookstores nationwide in April, 2007. 

Members of the news media wishing to request an advance review copy of My Feet Aren’t Ugly, or an interview with author Debra Beck, are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone – (615) 297-9875, or by email –
maryglenn@maryglenn.com.

-END-

RUSH PR NEWS newswire and press release services at www.rushprnews.com
Anne Howard www.annehowardpublicist.com writer and publicist