When Life & Style magazine recently published photos of Canadian singer Justin Bieber in St. Lucia with “Wizards of Waverly Place” star Selena Gomez, a myriad of Bieber’s young fans went off the deep end, tweeting death threats and calling Gomez nasty names online.
I’m not quite sure what it is about Bieber that inspires so much intensity (to be fair, I do remember crushing on the New Kids On The Block) but the fan frenzy brings up an interesting point. The teen and ‘tween age years are full of new and intense experiences — from surging hormones and new love to body and friendship issues. When a girl doesn’t know how to deal with these challenges (for example, a crush’s unreturned romantic interest) in a healthy way, misery ensues.
Navigating through the tween and teen years is tough for the kids and the people raising them. But there is help for all involved. There are some fantastic resources designed to empower as well as support ‘tween and teen girls. Take a look:
Girls In The Know was created by Lori Lander to help girls and their moms navigate through the ‘tween years. The month long interactive speaker series is led by a group of women professionals who address topics like self-esteem, nutrition, safety, body image and sex.
Carrie Carrie Silver-Stock is the compassionate and inventive mind behind Girls With Dreams. The site is a positive, fun place where girls can share new ideas and gain strength when dealing with some of their toughest problems. Carrie’s team is made up of teens who contribute content to the site.
Both resources are based in St. Louis too by the way. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Girls on the Run a national organization with an active St. Louis chapter. Girls on the Run combines health and wellness education with a running program in order to prepare girls for a lifetime of self respect and healthy living. This program suits girls ages 8-14.
If you’ve got any other resources you’d like to share, feel free!
Photo found here.
