What Your Daughter Isn't Telling You

...by Susie Shellengerger & Kathy Gowler. Book 28. Borrowed this from the Church library. Thought I might as well get some reminders of the growing pains teenagers go through. Lots of things mentioned by the writers hit some chords. But some things have 'evolved' a little though in essence the problem is still the same; they don't call it growing pains for nothing.

Read about 'Cutting'; teenagers physically cutting themselves so that they can feel pain, to replace the emotional pain they feel inside. I remembered being told by someone of her friend who cut herself.... it sounds crazy but this is what the kids in their years of wilderness do to themselves. This is something like self-immolation that we sometimes read about the 'faithfuls' who hurt themselves as an act of devotion to their faiths.

Then FWB or Friends With Benefits.... this was a new terminology for me, though again it's not a new problem. FWB basically means relationship with no strings attached but comes with sexual favours, something like an sex orgy. Other stuff like bulimia (I knew of someone who suffered from that), anorexia, low self-esteem, etc, etc aren't so foreign to me.

Girls growing up into womanhood, the journey there can be quite difficult sometimes. I'll definitely miss this adorable age that my Lil One is in now. But I look forward to the day too when we can do girl stuff together... 8)

Growing into the marginal man/woman... I've gone through with one and it was tough and hard on all of us. The next one is coming soon. And I thought I'd get a little headstart on it. Not that it's not going to be without surprises. But I hope it will be a muted one. Teenage years can be very tumultous years in one's life sometimes.