Surviving Middle School

Happy End of August!

Tis the season for back to school. Thousands of tween girls will begin their middle school journey this year and into the realms of life changing events. New friends will emerge, clicks will begin, and yes, torment and teasing for the ones that are different will surface. Like a pack of hungry wolfs, girls will begin to form the pack that will survive the coming middle school years, with an alpha and omega female emerging. As horrible as it sounds, the truth is upon us and the question remains what to do if my daughter falls victim to the pack. Many mothers think that buying their daughters the right clothes will help or giving them the latest gadgets to look cool will work. Truth to the matter is that now is not the right time to begin the necessary actions to help your daughter survive. Many moons and years ago when they first enter elementary school was the time.

All girls will experience the desire to fit in and belong in the middle school years and all mothers will question what to do to help their daughters through this tough time. As a mother of a new middle schooler and someone who has spent countless hours researching the effects of tween girls, I have learned that the time to talk to your children about who they are as individuals is an on going process that begins when they are young. It is important to let your child distinguish her characteristics that make her unique from an early age, as parents we should praise and build her confidence on areas where she excels. Confident girls will have a much better likelihood of surviving the intense drama than girls that struggle with self-esteem. And confidence building techniques take lots of time and dedication. It does not happen overnight or in a few weeks. A steady stream of consistency and time for your daughter to learn how to fail and then succeed will build her confidence. Whether it be through sports or dance from early elementary years or consistent church teachings, find a message that builds confidence and instills the necessary elements for her to succeed in middle school.

It has been a crazy summer! Right after my last post of "don't overbook yourself" my summer took off. Kids, field hockey and the daily grind - plus we are expecting another addition in the family, so we've been busy getting ready for "her" arrival too! Yes, it's a girl!

However, with the busy summer I had to take a moment to send out a post on awesome news! Sarah Campbell, a Go Girl & Co intern from 2003-04 has been out doing her part in empowering girls! Check out her latest info and pic. Oh, be gracious even to help support her cause, even $5.00 would make a difference! Cheers. More empowering posts to come on a regular basis in September I promise.

Hello everyone...

So I've decided to participate in another fundraiser. Now that I've completed a full marathon and raised over $5000 for cancer research, I've set myself a new goal. I'm going to run the VA beach 1/2 marathon... in a Tiara!!! That's right, a tiara. Tiaras aren't really my thing, but this one's for a good cause!
I've joined Team Tiara, an organization that supports Girls on the Run, which is an organization that helps set good examples for teenage girls. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.
The Girls on the Run objective is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.
I think this is a great organization, and something that our society really needs! I remember how hard it is to be a teenage girl and I wish that when I was that age, I had had a program like this, with strong women role models to look up to. And now, I get to be one of those role models!
My goal is to raise AT LEAST $262 for Girls on the Run/Team Tiara by September 23rd! Please visit my fundraising page to make a donation! These young girls need our help and inspiration!!! http://www.active.com/donate/TeamTiaraBaltimore/SarahCampbell
Thank you for your support! This truly is a GREAT cause!!!