Girl Time

The preteen years are a transitional time for girls, when their behavior and attitudes can change radically, seemingly from minute to minute. It can be a rocky time for mothers and their daughters. One moment, your daughter is a child clinging to you and wanting to be cuddled, and the next she's a gum-snapping teenager-in-training, full of attitude and sass, pushing you away. But it is during this time of change that girls begin to be vulnerable to the messages they get from peers--and society--and they really need their mother's attention and guidance. Girl Time is a fun and accessible workbook of fifteen structured exercises that will help mothers and their preteen daughters (roughly ages 9-12) connect, spend quality time together, share stories and experiences, and learn mindfulness techniques that they can use in daily life and in difficult moments. Girl Time creates a safe space and structured environment for daughters and moms to talk about emotions like sadness and anger, stress and anxiety, and boredom and issues like body image, food, and school worries. In each exercise, mother and daughter will explore the topic first separately and then together, through writing, drawing, and dialogue. The author takes a gentle, mindfulness-based approach that can be easily applied in myriad other situations. Snitbhan also includes a breathing practice at the end of each exercise.