Book Review - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, MD

I love parenting books.  Mostly, I take what I like from this book and from that book and combine them into my own style.  I think that is what most people should do.  But, I will say that I agree with almost 99% of what I read in this book.

My little sister just had her first baby, a sweet baby girl.  She is the one who recommended this book to me even though my oldest daughter will be 18 years old soon.  I'm so glad I had a chance to read it before she flew the coop and while my other three girls are still young.  Because Marly is so much older, I am going to recommend she read it too because of the data and statistics included are just good to know.

I'm going to admit that my husband is a pretty fantastic dad and he already does so much of what the book suggests as far as being a great dad that maybe that is why it made so much sense to me.  The reality is, that nobody is perfect and there is always something we can be doing better.  That is why he is going to read it next. (Ben, are you listening?)

Dr. Meeker is a pediatrician as well as a mother and I love the subtitle of her website which says "The wisdom of a pediatrician.  The heart of a mother."  She gets it.  She is the author of several books, the next of which I am going to read is called, The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.  I can already tell I am going to learn some new tricks for my motherhood journey.  But I digress...

Dr. Meeker gives a variety of suggestions on how to develop a relationship with your daughter that will strengthen or rebuild your bond and shape your daughter's life for the better.  Here is a list of chapter titles:

Chapter 1 - You are the Most Important Man in Her Life
Chapter 2 - She Needs a Hero
Chapter 3 - You Are Her First Love
Chapter 4 - Teach Her Humility
Chapter 5 - Portect her, Defend Her (and use a shotgun if necessary)
Chapter 6 - Pragmatism and Grit:  Two of Your Greatest Assetts
Chapter 7 - Be the Man you Want Her to Marry
Chapter 8 - Teach Her Who God Is
Chapter 9 - Teach Her to Fight
Chapter 10 - Keep Her Connected

She offers examples from real life experiences, statistics and data as well as practical ways to help your daughter become a strong and confident woman.   She is down to earth, funny at times, and practical yet old fashioned about today's world.  I wish I had this book 18 years ago.  It is a must read for fathers (and mothers) of daughters.  For more information, check out her website.  She even has a companion book to this one which is a 30 day challenge to jump start dads in the right direction.  I can't wait to get my hands on that.  Hurry up Amazon!!


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