Reviewer Ruth Ann Hixson: Ruth has been an avid reader since she first learned to read. When she was forty-two, she went to college to become a journalist. She started out as an assistant editor and reporter and later graduated to Lifestyles Editor. She is now retired and enjoys writing, editing and book reviewing.
Author: Pat Brown
ISBN 13: 978-0-7573-1669-2 (trade paper)
ISBN 10: 0-7573-1669-7 (trade paper)
ISBN 13: 978-0-7573-1670-8 (e-pub)
ISBN 10: 0-7573-1670-0 (e-pub)
Author: Pat Brown
ISBN 13: 978-0-7573-1669-2 (trade paper)
ISBN 10: 0-7573-1669-7 (trade paper)
ISBN 13: 978-0-7573-1670-8 (e-pub)
ISBN 10: 0-7573-1670-0 (e-pub)
In her book How to Save Your Daughter's Life, Pat Brown tells how to make your daughter's life more secure and she does it in plain English, sometimes quite bluntly. In fact she has a warning at the end of the introduction:
Warning: I speak in a very open fashion about sex, violence, relationships, prostitution, drugs, alcohol, rape, murder, crime, criminals and psychopaths. I do not beat around the bush and couch what I say in soothing words or in psychobabble. I may take on the thinking of the predator or psychopath and show you what he might be planning for your daughter, and it isn't particularly sweet. I hope you understand I simply want to be clear and straightforward with no BS. Better a bit of discomfort here than massive heartache later.
She begins with The Early Years to lay the groundwork of the rest of the chapters. She tells parents to begin by teaching their children respect for other people. She also notes that parents should teach their daughters to respect them and to keep the lines of communication open. She also states that parents should answer children's questions truthfully. Lies only complicate matters, even if the lie is meant to make it easier for the child.
She says most children are smart people and will see through a lie and as a result lose respect for the liar. She gives examples from her own life and others she has come in contact with.
"Slow her down," she says of girls that are trying to grow up too fast. Mrs. Brown says parents shouldn't allow their daughters to "run wild" but channel their energy into productive activities. If a parent allows his/her daughter to do whatever she wants whenever she wants, she could end up in a dangerous situation that could cause her a lot of heartache or even death.
Pat goes on to discuss bullying, both on the internet or cell phones or actual physical confrontations. She talks about who your daughter is hanging out with. Is she into drugs, alcohol or casual sex? Does she have a curfew and does she keep it?
At the end of each chapter she writes "dear daughter" letters to give parents a way to communicate with their children. In each of these, she expresses love and the message that the child can feel free to come talk to her parents about any problems she is having in school, with friends and other peers, with boys, drugs and other tempting pitfalls.
As a criminal profiler, Pat describes the kind of life your daughter may end up in if she isn't controlled until she is an adult and mature enough to make her own choices. She doesn't advocate that a parent should control every little aspect of a daughter's life as in some cultures, but to educate her of the things that can happen if she chooses not to listen to you. She suggests that perhaps you can pass on some of the parts of the book that are appropriate for someone of her age.
Pat warns about who the daughter should be allowed to contact on the internet. Some very bad people are lurking there to lead her astray into dark and devious criminal activities such as prostitution and pornography. A young girl may sometimes be swayed by the promise of gifts and money and think it is an easy way to attain fame. Instead of fame they end up in a lifestyle that cuts them off from friends and family and they have a difficult, if not an impossible, time leaving that lifestyle and joining the respectable community again.
All this and more is included in this book. It is not a read-one-time-and-forget-it type book. It is a manual that can teach how to keep your daughter safe; a guide to be mulled over and put into practice a little at a time. If you try to feed the content of this book all at once your daughter will probably bulk or rebel. A long list of changes is like taking a too big bite of food. You can't chew and swallow it. It is more likely to have a more lasting affect if fed to her in bite size chunks that she can chew, swallow and digest.
The world isn't as safe as it used to be. Pat Brown offers this guide to make it just a little safe for your special girl.
