Teenage girls can seem like aliens to fathers, and authors Gross and Livingston (Univ. of Vermont) here offer nuts-and-bolts help for everything from nurturing a relationship to choosing a maxi pad. Gearing their work toward the "single dad who may not have a woman in his life with whom to confer about issues-such as sex, friendships, boyfriends, alcohol and drugs, and personal hygiene," the authors take a frank but encouraging approach. In general, they give good, solid advice on normal developmental changes in a reader-friendly format and include bullet lists that fathers can refer to with confidence, such as tips for stocking a bathroom. VERDICT Unfortunately, the authors supply some incorrect information (girls' first average menses is 12, not ten), which conflicts with the American Academy of Pediatrics--a big no-no. While the authors likely meant puberty and not menses, single fathers are unlikely to recognize the editorial oversight, and this is thus a major and unfortunate error.
[Page 65]. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Being a father to a tween or teenage daughter is hard, but it is far more difficult if you're going it alone. Whether rendered a one-man show by divorce, death, or deployment, single fathers face a slew of unique challenges when parenting adolescent girls. They must navigate issues like menstruation, female social development (including the great, dreaded D-word: Dating), the establishment of positive male role models, and more subtle issues, like negotiating new forms of father-daughter physical contact. In addition to these dad-and-daughter topics, the book also contains useful information on general parenting areas, such as fiscal responsibility and setting boundaries. Succinct, direct, and wide-ranging, this comprehensive volume never shies away from uncomfortable topics like anorexia and suicidal ideation. Gross (a single mother and lecturer on human relationships and sexuality at the University of Vermont) and Livingston (an RN) have done an excellent job of creating a thoughtful and readable parenting guide, without getting too preachy or maudlin. However, the authors warn that even if their guide works wonders, don't anticipate an overtly grateful daughter--rather, fathers should expect something along the lines of, "That book just looks stupid, Dad…Don't think you'll find anything in that book that will work on me!" Rest assured, dads--you will. (Mar.)
[Page ]. Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLCBeing a father to a tween or teenage daughter is hard, but it is far more difficult if you're going it alone. Whether rendered a one-man show by divorce, death, or deployment, single fathers face a slew of unique challenges when parenting adolescent girls. They must navigate issues like menstruation, female social development (including the great, dreaded D-word: Dating), the establishment of positive male role models, and more subtle issues, like negotiating new forms of father-daughter physical contact. In addition to these dad-and-daughter topics, the book also contains useful information on general parenting areas, such as fiscal responsibility and setting boundaries. Succinct, direct, and wide-ranging, this comprehensive volume never shies away from uncomfortable topics like anorexia and suicidal ideation. Gross (a single mother and lecturer on human relationships and sexuality at the University of Vermont) and Livingston (an RN) have done an excellent job of creating a thoughtful and readable parenting guide, without getting too preachy or maudlin. However, the authors warn that even if their guide works wonders, don't anticipate an overtly grateful daughter--rather, fathers should expect something along the lines of, "That book just looks stupid, Dad…Don't think you'll find anything in that book that will work on me!" Rest assured, dads--you will. (Mar.)
[Page ]. Copyright 2012 PWxyz LLC