Bringing up girls

I have been reading a book I have waited a long time for, Bringing up Girls, by Dr. James Dobson.

So far it is a powerful book. In one chapter he gives some suggestions that he found doing research for his book.

In honor of mother's day here are some of my favorite

*Accept the fact that (your little girl) will melt your heart anytime she chooses.
*Teach her to count. First her fingers. Then cheerios, M&Ms, dandelions, and fireflies.
*Never ever make fun of her
*Make her a Valentine's Day card-every year
*Suprise her by showing up at her school for lunch, bearing happy meals or pizza
*Encourage her to be kind. Even to the girl nobody likes
*Remember she needs a strong self image before she becomes an awkward teen. A father's love can make all the difference.
*Little girls are fascinated by escalators. Make sure you hold hands.
*Drive the car pool. You'll learn firsthand what she's doing each day.
*There will be days when you think you've raised an alien. Those are the same days she feels she's being raised by one.
*Teach her to pray for her enemies. This could possibly include a rotating cast of classmates and ex-boyfriends.
*Teach here that if she acts stupid to attract boys, she'll attract stupid boys.
*Be firm about maintaing family traditions. They will become more important to her than either of you can imagine.
*Take a look around her room. Take a moment to look at her pictures, her photos, her keepsakes. These are her memories. This was the childhhod you gave her.
*Tell her she is the daughter you always dreamed about.
*tell her the three keys to wisdom, not believing all you hear, not spending all you have, not sleeping all you want. This will be difficult for her until she graduates from college.
*Remember she will break your heart when she leaves for college. But you will survive.
*In the end, let her go.