In The Wonder of Girls, as in its predecessor, The Wonder of Boys, Michael Gurian presents radical and enlightening views of parenting. Using as his springboard up-to-date scientific research on female biology, hormones, and brain development and how they shape girls' interests, behavior, and relationships, Gurian offers crucial information for fully understanding girls' basic nature. As such The Wonder of Girls is essential — and riveting — reading for anyone involved in raising daughters.

In a culture caught between traditionalism and feminism, Gurian, himself the father of two girls, debunks long-standing myths about girls and presents a new vision that provides for the equal status of girls and women, yet acknowledges their nature as complex and distinct from men. He explains what is "normal" for girls each year from birth to age twenty; what developmental needs they face in each stage; and how to cope with developmental crises such as early sexuality, eating disorders, parental divorce, and more.

With his scientifically based developmental map of girlhood, Gurian helps parents to get to know their daughters from the inside out. Challenging our culture to embrace this crucial piece of the puzzle, The Wonder of Girls elevates the dialogue on parenthood.

The Wonder of Girls is...an excellent choice.

Explosive....Gurian raises interesting questions.

Introduction

Toward a New Logic of Girls' Lives

1: BEGINNING OUR SEARCH: A NEW LOGIC OF GIRLS' LIVES

A Moment of Awakening

Looking Beyond Feminism: Old Myths and New Theories

2: HOW HER MIND WORKS: SECRETS OF THE FEMALE BRAIN

Girls and Boys Are Different

A Quick Look at Your Daughter's Brain

The Stages of a Girl's Brain Development

Stage 1: The Child

Stage 2: The Girl

Stage 3: The Adolescent Girl

Stage 4: The Young Woman

The Goal of the Journey

The Intimacy Imperative

The Future of Femininity

3: THE HIDDEN WORLD: THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF GIRLS' LIVES

The Tree of Life: From Mind to Hormones

The Hidden World: A Girl's Hormonal Biology

The Biology of Femininity

The Three-Family System

The New Challenge

4: THE ARTFUL MOTHER: WHAT GIRLS NEED FROM MOM

A Mother's Love

A Season for Mothering

From Mommy to Mom: Mothering a Daughter

Through Childhood and Adolescence

The Artful Mother in Stage 1: Birth to Five Years Old

The Artful Mother in Stage 2: Six to Ten Years Old

The Artful Mother in Stage 3: Eleven to Fifteen Years Old

The Artful Mother in Stage 4: Sixteen to Twenty Years Old

How to Be an Artful Stepmother

If Your Daughter Were a Parenting Expert...

Looking Back on What Our Mothers Taught Us

5: THE GIFTS OF THE FATHER: WHAT GIRLS NEED FROM DAD

A Father's Love

Father Attachment

Gifts of the Father

Helping a Daughter Manage Peer Relationships

Fathers, Daughters, and Divorce

The Stages of "Dad"

6: INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE: PROTECTING THE EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR GIRLS

Girls and Self-Esteem: A Different View

Protecting Innocence, Guiding Experience

The Malleable Self

Protecting the Bodies of Our Daughters

Harsh Experience: Emotional Crises in Girls' Lives

Emotional Development Touchstones

7: THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY: BUILDING CHARACTER IN OUR DAUGHTERS

"True" Stories

The Heroine's Journey

Cinderella

Female Mentors, the Language of the Birds, and the Dance

The Prince Searches for Cinderella

The End of the Story

Looking Forward: The Issue of Women's Roles

8: WOMANISM: GIVING GIRLS A SACRED ROLE IN LIFE

What Is Womanism?

A Sacred Female Role in the New Millennium

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX: Books and Movies That Help Girls Grow

Twenty-Five Movies

Twenty-Five Books

Additional Resources

NOTES AND REFERENCES

INDEX