Monday, June 25, 2012

Guest Post: Your Daughter Needs a Hero by Maria C. Furlough

Your Daughter Needs a Hero



Why I wrote Your Daughter Needs a Hero By Maria C. Furlough



It is because of THIS:

Kidding!  No actually, I'm not.  I wish it were a joke, but unfortunately I am very serious.  I honestly don't think I would have had much to write about if this little blurb said, "Carpe Snackem!  Seize the day and spare your heart from prematurely deteriorating!"  or "Carpe Snackem!  Seize the day and spare your arteries!" or "Carpe Snackem!  Seize the day and spare your wallet from mountainous doctor's bills!"  But nooooooooooooooo.  Spare your thighs.  NOW, this is why I had PLENTY to write about.

The fact of the matter is that this culture, intentionally or unintentionally, has declared war on the hearts of adolescent girls.  They are so young, simply trying to survive in an existence where their body is changing, their emotions are flaring, and kids are downright mean.  They are bombarded with messages emphasizing physical perfection.  Magazines, movies, billboards, their snacks for goodness sakes all scream "BEEEEEEEE SKINNNNNNY!!!"  News flash, we were not all born to be skinny.

Back to the original question, "Why did I write this book?"  I wrote this book with the hope and prayer that parents would armor up.  That the home would become a place that is quiet from outside pressures of looking a certain way and a place where physical beauty is de-emphasized.  Parents might not be able to undo all that is happening to their daughters, but they surely can understand it and try to fight against it.

Why fight?  What's so bad about wanting to look good anyway?  Well, looking good doesn't have to be bad.  As long as we remember that "looking good" is not a one size fits all.  My followup to that question is this, "Why does the emphasis have to be on looking good?  Why can't it be on being healthy?"  The end physical result ends up the same, but the heart result along the way is much less demeaning.  I believe there is a huge difference and most young ladies do not even think or care about actually being healthy.  In fact, most of the things I did as a teenager to look good were anything but healthy.

I realize this is an uphill climb, but I firmly believe parents are at the bottom of that hill.  We only have our kids in our walls for a limited amount of years.  I may fail miserably.  I may fight everyday and my daughter might still look in the mirror and think she is fat.  But at the end of the day I will be at peace knowing that I tried my best to take some of the pain away that I KNOW comes with being a teenager daughter.
So here's to Carpe Snacken!  Seize the day and and spare your daughter.  She needs you.


About the Author:


Eighteen years ago, an eleven year old girl looked in mirror and for the first time in her innocent life…she realized she hated what she saw.  That girl was me.  It continued to be me until in my early twenties I realized two things: God had a bigger plan for me than that and part of that plan was for me to help other girls not be like me.As God slowly picked me up out of the pit I was in, I began to look around me and see many of factors that contributed to my poor body image.  As a youth leader I watched, studied, and prayed for the young girls God put into my life.  I struggled with them as they constantly asked about the caloric content of the cookies I put out or begged me not to take pictures of them.  It made me so sad to see so much of myself in them.  Then one day, after an interaction with parents, it hit me like a ton of bricks “they don’t know!” Their parents, my parents…they didn’t and don’t realize the depths that insecurity reaches.  It was time for action.

After the birth of my first child, Faith I sat down at my computer to write.  I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.  I actually wrote all the way through the birth of my second child David (it took me quite awhile with two under two at home!!!).  What I wrote is simple: parents you need to know…Today my family and I live in North Carolina and we excitedly begin this journey as an author and speaker.  My husband Dave is the catalyst behind all that I do.  He has encouraged me and enabled me to be on this journey and I am so thankful for his love and his companionship.  My daughter Faith, now turning four, inspires me every day to stand firm to the message I believe in.  It is for her that I take serious every word I utter about beauty.  It is for her I strive to be a woman who models a God given security in prayer that she will not struggle the way that I did.  It is for her my life’s mission is now clear.  My son David is now two and he is the ball of laughter and energy that keep this home going.  His smile, his laugh it is all contagious and I look forward to the man God is molding him to be.  Furlough baby # three, Aaron has officially arrived into our lives.  Since the day he was born he has been a perfect reminder of God’s grace and love for us.  Aaron is our perfect gift.

Authoring is by no means my life, but it sure is something God has excitedly called me to do and I look forward to all that the future has in store!  May this book, this blog, this life of mine bless you as we partner to help our girls into a life of true worth.

Feel free to contact me at any time at [email protected] for more information on booking events, signings, prayer needs, or simply to share your story.

Maria’s latest book is Your Daughter Needs a Hero.

You can visit the author’s website at www.trueworthministries.org.


About the Book:
What drives teenage girls? What tempts them? What causes their insecurities? More importantly, what can parents do to make a difference in their lives? Author Maria Furlough battled self-image and self-esteem issues as a teenager, and in Your Daughter Needs a Hero she uses a mix of personal stories and years of experience counseling teenage girls in youth ministry to show parents what their teenage daughters are going through and how best to help them.

Furlough explains how things such as fad diets, the media, and pornography influence a teen girl’s body image, and she guides parents on how to counteract the constant pressures and influences that affect teen girls every day. This book will show parents how to effectively build their daughter’s self-esteem, self-image, and, most importantly, their faith in God and in their parents. If you have a daughter, Your Daughter Needs a Hero is a must read!



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