0 Book Review: Bonding over Beauty

Oh, the horrors and wonders of adolescence and becoming a woman. There's so much that a young girl encounters; pimples, odors, menstruation, body hair and attractions...just to name a few! At one of the most awkward times in your daughter's life, it can be difficult to approach those issues and encourage communication about them. This book, Bonding Over Beauty, by author Erika Katz helps you approach these topics and some bonding activities you can do with your daughter to help your bond as mother/daughter and your daughter's self-esteem. 

About the author: 

"Author of the upcoming book Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust (Greenleaf Press, March 2011), Erika Katz uses her beauty expertise to help moms bond with their ‘tween daughters. A former child model and actress, Erika appeared in over 100 commercials, print ads, and films. As the mother of a ‘tween girl, she now writes a popular beauty blog for mothers tackling the drama of the ‘tween years."

 Typically, I do not write reviews on books. When I saw the synopsis of this book, I just had to read it.  I am a mother of a 8 year old that is entering this new stage of changes.  I loved this book because I could relate to a lot of things in it from my own experience and what I am already noticing in my daughter. 

There are many bonding activities that you can do with your daughter to help her through these new hurdles of womanhood to help with her self-esteem and overall physical and emotional wellness.

You may think that from the title it's all about beauty, which you may not be interested in. There is so much more to it.  While reading through this book, there was a lot of things that I already knew about through my own experience, but this book reminded me that I would need to go over with my daughter here very soon. Some things that didn't readily come to mind on my own, like her hair starting to grow and having to discuss shaving her legs.
I know that menstruation is right around the corner. Some little girls are getting it from age 9 and that will be next year. If she's lucky, her body will wait until 16, like it did with me.  This book addresses that as well as yeast infections and UTIs. There are sections about skincare, hair care, makeup, digestion, and fitness. While reading this book, I learned some things too. It wasn't just a book for things to do with my daughter, but a learning experience for me too.
Some areas, we are already starting to deal with such as underarm odor and the debate to or not to start wearing a bra. I think I want to go over each topic, we'll read together from the book and I'll include her in the choice of "bonding activities" that we can do together. I like the idea of a pampering day for the two of us and to take her shopping for her razors or pads/tampons once we hit those milestones. 
I truly enjoy this book and especially over the next few years, will serve as a puberty guide for us. I've had a couple friends check it out and comment about what a great book it is. If you have a tween, or pre-tween, this really is a fantastic book to have.  
Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of this product for review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions here are my own.