Mama's Reading - Queen Bees & Wannabes

Growing up in my family, I was the oldest of 4 girls. I remeber often feeling that my parents had no clue as to what was going on in my life. And even if they knew, they would never understand.

Fast forward 15 years, I now have 2 little girls of my own (and pregnant again, my bets are on another little girl). Knowing what I know about my pre-teen life, I'm totally scared to watch my daughters grow up and have to deal with social pressures that come with middle school and high school.

I believe it's all so much more complicated now than it was back then. I've told my husband numerous times how I'm so relieved that there was not the social media outlets like facebook, youtube and cell phone texting when we were growing up. Social pressures have gotten so much more complicated.

I just finished reading an eye opening book by Rosalind Wiseman called Queen Bees and Wannabes. If I've learned anything from the book (coincidently the basis for the movie Mean Girls) I've learned that being 13 today is a whole different slumber party than it was when I was that age.

Queen Bees and Wannabes gives you a first hand glimpse into the lives of pre-teen girls. I found it fascinating to learn about the construction of a clique, from the "Queen Bee" to the "Sidekick", all the way down the popularity chain to the "Target".

What I've loved about this book is that it not only exposes what might be going on in your daughters life, it gives sound advise and tips on how to deal with the issues. I've always said, I want to be my daughters friend, but not at the expense of loosing her as my daughter. I'm ok with not being the cool parent - but I do want to be the kind of parent that my girls can come to me anytime, with anything.

This book will definetly be going on the bookshelf and used as a manual in the coming years. Queen Bees and Wannabes is not only for Mom's to read. I've been hinting to my husband that he needs to read it as well. A great (and fast) read for any parent of girls.