Mother Daughter Tween Program

(for Mothers and their 10 – 12 year old daughters)

This program is very basic and is geared toward the younger girls’ anticipation of the changes that take place at puberty. Most girls will not have started ovulating or having periods, even though many of them are experiencing some of the physical and emotional changes.

This is a sweet program to help the girls appreciate their femininity, have some fun, laugh a lot and become comfortable with their changing bodies and personalities. Little girls change into women, even if they would rather not, and all the changes are part of God’s wonderful design of women. The physical changes are preparing the girls’ bodies to be able to be mothers in the future. God wants every new baby to grow inside his mother’s uterus, and He has designed everything about a woman’s body to take care of His babies. The program really helps put the girls and their mothers at ease when discussing these topics!

Welcome

An introduction of the topics that will be discussed. Stage is set for talking about God’s love and wisdom in His Plan for each young person to grow up. The emcee emphasizes the goodness of being a girl and the fact that changes are supposed to happen. The children will be put at ease and prepared for the presentations to follow.

Opening Prayer – Spontaneous and from the heart.

When I Was Your Age – 4 to 5 minutes

Encouragement will be given to the girls to listen to the speakers and to learn more about themselves. They are reassured that growing up is good and wonderful even though it may seem confusing at times. They are reminded that there is always so much to learn, and that’s why they are at the Mother / Daughter program.

It’s Great to be a Girl – 8 to 10 minutes

Girls learn they are unique and precious. The goodness of the girls’ femininity and womanhood is emphasized. They learn that it’s good to be a woman and that God has given them special gifts, especially the possibility of being able one day to become a mother. Their bodies will change to help prepare them for the future, and the more they can understand what is happening, the more prepared they will be.

Every young girl is unique and precious, and they should learn to cherish their uniqueness. They need to respect themselves and ask for respect from others. They learn about a personal value system.

Speaker covers developing gifts and talents and the importance of using them to serve God and live a virtuous life. All the virtues will be discussed with some special emphasis on modesty and modest dress.

Girls hear about responsibility to themselves and to others in their families, schools and peer groups. Everyone is responsible for her actions and words, even when moods make them feel a certain way.

All in God’s Plan – 10 to 15 minutes

Emphasis is on anticipating the physical and emotional changes that happen and that all the changes are good and necessary parts of God’s plan to help girls bodies prepare for motherhood.

Each person is different, and each person changes and develops at different times and in different ways, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Puberty is a time of change. Their little girl bodies will develop over time into adult women’s bodies. They will begin to produce hormones which are like chemical messengers that prepare their bodies for ovulation and their first menstrual periods.

Physical changes like growth spurts, weight gain, growth of reproductive organs, body odor, acne, etc. will be discussed. All these things are happening because their bodies are responding to the hormonal messages from their brains and reproductive organs. Their bodies are learning how to function as a woman and preparing for motherhood in the future.

Emotional changes like moodiness, argumentativeness, peer acceptance, etc. will also be covered. They especially need lots of love and affection from their parents and acceptance by their peers. They will start to desire independence. It can be a confusing time.

Our Bodies Prepare for Motherhood – 30 to 45 minutes
Explanation of the Fertility Cycle, Ovulation and Menstruation

The visual presentation includes a woman’s cycle, brain interaction with reproductive organs, cycle variations, reproductive anatomy and physiology, conception, uterus, birth canal, phases of the cycle, fertility wheel, hormones, the ovary, changes in the endometrium, menstruation, pregnant uterus and the unborn baby.

Girls and their mothers will understand that God has designed their bodies in an awesome way.

The gift of human fertility should never be taken for granted. The emphasis is on God’s design and understanding His plan for their bodies, helping them to see that all the changes are to help prepare them for love, marriage and a family in the future.

Being a Mother – 3 to 6 minutes
Personal Witness

A completely honest and direct from the heart witness to the joys as well as the sorrows of motherhood. Since it is never easy being a parent, and there is no such thing as the perfect parent, the speaker encourages the mothers to keep trying to do their best.

Mothers are also encouraged to love their daughters no matter what, to really listen to them, to be there for them and to make them know how important they are to their families.

Girls will be told that being a mother is a great blessing from God and, if marriage is their vocation, hopefully God will bless them with children. Their children will probably treat them the same way they treat their mothers, so it is important that they remember to be kind and gentle to their mothers. Lots of love, respect and communication can go a long way in helping to keep the family happy.

Afternoon Break – 30 minutes

Questions and Answers for the Panel – 30 to 45 minutes

Opportunity to answer questions from the Question Box (via chat)

A panel of women will answer questions placed in the box during the break. If any inappropriate questions are asked they are not covered during the presentation.

Poetic Tribute to Daughters – 3 to 4 minutes
Poem is read together.   Mothers are asked to put their arms around their daughters while a poem is read. This is the end of the program.

Evaluations and Closing