If you are close friend of mine, and you have a daughter, then I have probably already recommended this book to you at some point or another. But of course, I couldn't just stop there, I had to write a blog post about it too to really reinforce how much you need this book in your life.
I believe that I was a teenager when my mom picked up this book at my church's old bookstore on 10th Avenue back in the day. She read it through with my sister and me, and now that I have a daughter (two daughters!) of my own, I have found myself pouring through its pages once again. I really can't recommend this book enough to mothers who want to cultivate a virtuous, godly, submissive, and pure spirit in their daughters. Even though Ryenne is very young yet and her sister is in utero, David and I want to be as well-equipped as possible when it comes to the task of raising these virtuous women that God has entrusted to us.
Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald is written at such a practical level, and it is ideal for going through with your daughter when she is old enough to grasp the concepts discussed (I'd say around 10 years old). When I pulled it off my mom's shelf and brought it home months ago (sorry I haven't returned it yet, Mom), I didn't know that it would mean even more to me now as a mother than it did when I was in the "daughter" role. I read one chapter, then two, then three - I just couldn't put it down. A couple of chapters focus on being "Daddy's Fair Maiden," and so I asked David if he would want to read those chapters. He took it to work one day and ended up reading almost the entire book himself in one shift! It's just one of those books that are so hard to put down and the principles are so pure and godly and counter-cultural, it's easy to eat it all up as a parent with high hopes and dreams for their daughter!
Some of the chapter titles:
"Modern-Day Maidens"
"Homemade Homemakers"
"Love Your Nest"
"Daddy's Fair Maiden"
"Dwelling in Unity"
"The Cheerful Voice of Hospitality"
"Knight in Shining Armor"
Disclaimer: I will say that some of Stacy McDonald's points can be a little over-the-top or extreme (some might think this book is too legalistic), but I personally tend to gravitate to these types of authors or writing styles because I can take the good behind their principles and then even it out a bit as I apply it to my own life. So, that being said, I'd just recommend reading it with a grain of salt.
I know I don't usually (as in ever) do book recommendations on here, but since I've picked this book up once again in the last week, I felt compelled to share it with a broader audience than just a couple of close friends. There are so many key issues discussed in this book that our daughters will probably face one day, and the fact that they are spelled out and then looked at with a godly lens makes it almost fool-proof for a mom trying to raise a daughter in today's culture.
I so look forward to the day that I can go through this book with Ryenne and Aubrey Isla, but in the meantime, I'll just be over here reading it over and over again til it falls apart ... ;)
Oh, and I even did you the favor of finding it for you on Amazon should you decide to buy this gem of a novel for yourself:
Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald
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