An accessible blueprint to embolden our daughters to be critical thinkers, fearless doers, and joyful change agents for our future—from the proud mother of teen activist Marley Dias, founder of 1000BLACKGIRLBOOKS.
“A stunning and pathbreaking how-to guide and memoir for every mom, dad, or caregiver who believes in rearing children to be healthy individuals and caring citizens.”—Khalil Gibran Muhammad, author of The Condemnation of Blackness
Renowned sociologist Janice Johnson Dias has devoted her life to nurturing and training girls to become changemakers—whether through her investment in her daughter Marley’s humanitarian projects or through her work with the GrassROOTS Community Foundation “SuperCamp” she co-founded for girls. In these unprecedented times, her work has never been more urgent, as parents find themselves asking: How do we teach girls to change the world?
Dr. Johnson Dias knows that self-realized girls are created through intentional parenting. And so she asks parents to make deliberate choices—from babyhood through adolescence—that will give their girls the resources and foundation to take hold of their own futures and to create sustainable social change.
Unlike other parenting experts, Dr. Johnson Dias doesn’t urge parents to focus solely on their children. Instead, she tasks them with a personal challenge: to find their own joy. Just as Dr. Johnson Dias brings her own jubilant passion to parenting, mentoring, and teaching, she inspires caregivers to do the same.
Using cutting-edge research and Dr. Johnson Dias’s own experiences, the book offers information and strategies for making discussions of racism and sexism a daily practice, identifying heroes and mentors, educating yourselves together, and uncovering your girl’s passions and what issues drive her the most.
Parenting is enormous work; it can be as overwhelming as it is fulfilling. Within the pages of Parent Like It Matters, parents will find the invaluable tools they need to raise resilient, optimistic girls who determine for themselves what their world will look like.
* This audiobook includes a bonus pdf of assignments, appendices and a list of resources from the book.
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"“Parent Like It Matters is a stunning and pathbreaking how-to guide and memoir for every mom, dad or caregiver who believes in rearing children to be healthy individuals and caring citizens. Combining her talents as a leading sociologist, the wisdom of her grandmother, and the experience of raising talented change-agents in her community, Dr. Johnson Dias makes clear in this beautifully written book that there may be no more important responsibility."
— Khalil Gibran Muhammad, author of The Condemnation of Blackness“To matter is a universal human need, and both parent and child benefit from the process and the outcome of raising girls who are critical thinkers and change-makers. . . . This recommended title has insights and practical tips for raising change-making girls.
I keep a copy of the book by my bedside as a reference and as a reminder that I am working to build a reciprocal relationship with my own daughter and to ensure she goes into the world as a confident, knowing woman.
— The Washington PostIn Parent Like It Matters, Dr. Janice Johnson Dias offers an impressive and bold roadmap for those who seek to engage passion and joy as essential elements of developing girls who thrive. Her honest and rigorous offering is a gift to parents, educators, and all adults in search of tools to cultivate the brilliance of our girls.
— Monique W. Morris, Ed.D. author of Pushout and Executive Director of Grantmakers for Girls of ColorI am beyond proud of my mom and her new book Parent Like It Matters! This story is a combination of faith in the power of children’s voices and a guide for focus-driven parenting, which will inspire a new generation of young change makers.
— Marley Dias, author of Marley Dias Gets It DoneIf you have a Black girl in your life- daughter, niece, neighbor, student- you owe it to her to read this book. Part memoir, part advice column, part workbook, Dr. Janice Johnson Dias has crafted a wholly originally, deeply challenging, and expansively joyful guide to walking beside the girl in your life as she finds voice, courage, purpose, and self.
— Melissa Harris-Perry, co-host of the podcast System Check and the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest UniversityParent Like It Matters gives me hope for girls to dream themselves into the future as healed, whole, powerful, actualized women—because this book will help to cocreate healed, whole, powerful, actualized parents to support them on their journey.
— EbonyJanice Moore, Hip Hop Womanist Scholar and Founder of Black Girl Mixtape & The Free People ProjectBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Jacqueline Woodson, named national Young People’s Poet Laureate, is a multiple-award-winning author of more than two dozen acclaimed books for young adults, middle graders, and children. She won the 2019 Indie Champion Award for advocacy of independent bookstores. Among her many other honors are the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the NAACP Image Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, among others. She is the 2018 winner of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” She was the 2013 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.