Mother-Daughter Book Club

I want a relationship with my daughter that is based on our ability to communicate when we agree and when we don't. I want her to feel comfortable talking to me about anything. I want her to be comfortable with her friends and their moms; so if something happens and she doesn't want to talk to me, maybe she'll talk to them. I want her to have a group of friends that transcends the school she attends and even the church she attends. I want M to have a group of friends that loves her, respects her, accepts her exactly how she is, watches out for her, and doesn't pressure her to be something she isn't. This is what I had in mind when I decided to start a mother-daughter book club. I want to be able to spend some time with just M and her "good" friends and their moms (my awesome friends!). I think in the boundaries of this book club idea, we can come together regularly to build a relationship like this with each other and provide our daughters and each other a support network to help them navigate the coming years.

To the wonderful women who have eagerly jumped into this mother-daughter book club idea with me: I know you as women, I am blessed to know you all as friends and your children are the kind of friends I would make for M if it were up to me. And to a certain extent, it still can be up to me for a little while longer. I can't believe M is 8 already! And even though she is only 8, I feel her frustration about friendships already, I can hear her tired/exhausted/mood swinging emotions get the better of her some days. I want to be on the inside helping out, talking, making her feel better, more confident, less stressed/anxious, than adding to her stress. Does this make sense? It is only going to get worse (no, not worse, just more complicated) as she develops into her teenage self. The needing to fit in, the group mentality, the saying what others want to hear, the doing what others want you to do, the needing to figure out who you'll be, what you believe, what you'll stand up for, what you'll try before you are ready just because your “friends” say so. I know our girls are only 8 but I am hoping and praying that if we start this book club now and build a great base for the relationship we want later on - the better we will all be. It takes a village, right? Will you be part of my village?

If you want to be part of the village, check back often and feel free to comment on the posts. I’d love more ideas and perspectives.

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