Although I usually write about products, events, and websites that are geared to moms who are pregnant or who have little ones under age three, I thought I'd take a minute to acknowledge my readers who are moms of teen or tween girls this evening.
There's no denying that it's tough being a teen girl in today's society. It's a confusing time full of questions like: Who am I? Who will I become? What are my strengths? Who can I trust with my heart? When will I fall in love? What does my future hold?
Unfortunately, girls often look to the media to find the answers. They see the popularity, the pregnancies, the posh materialism, the focus on "prettiness," and the "hook-up-then-break-up" relationships that are rampant on TV, online, and beyond.
In the midst of all this, it's great to find resources that are more wholesome. Resources that inspire, motivate, and encourage - rather than complicate an already intense time. One such resource is Heart of Gold, "the first website dedicated to helping young women recognize — and celebrate — the unique gifts they bring to the world."
Heart of Gold "was created to encourage young women to stand up for what they believe in. And then take a stand — individually and collectively — to see how they can make a difference in the world."
Although the website is still a bit scanty when it comes to content, it's certainly worth passing on the link to your teen/tween daughter. There are articles about fashion, community service, packing for college, and more.
Of course, you and your daughter can also buy accessories and jewelry with positive messages on the site (I hear clothing is on the way too). Best of all, every time you buy something on Heart of Gold, a portion of the profits will be donated to charity.
Here's an idea! Plan a special outing with your daughter - just the two of you. Go on a hike, get pedicures, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or eat lunch at a fabulous downtown restaurant. You choose the activity. While there, present her with a Follow Your Heart to the Life of Your Dreams Necklace or a Heart of Gold Necklace. Tell her 5 things that you love about her "heart." Hopefully, the necklace will serve as a constant reminder of your special outing, your presence in her life, and your belief in who she is and who she will become in the future.
WIN IT! One mama will win a Follow Your Heart to the Life of Your Dreams Necklace to give to a special girl in her life. To enter, simply leave a comment stating who you would present the necklace to if you won, along with your e-mail address, on this post prior to Thursday, February 14 (perfect for Valentines Day, don't you think?). The winner will be announced and contacted on Friday, Feb. 15. * Winner must provide a U.S. mailing address.
* UPDATE * The winner is #84 redfantum. Congratulations!
My half sister Samantha who is a tween would really love this!
This would be great for my daughter.
I would give this to my daughter
for she has had to be strong through alot of medical problems
I would give this necklace to my daughter.
To my daughter.....!
♥
I would love to give it to my 11½ yo daughter. Thanks!
What a wonderful gift to give to a little princess.
I would give it to Zoë, my beautiful 15 year old granddaughter.
[email protected]
I would give this to my mother whom is 77 years young because she is my jewel of life and she brings sunshine to my heart. [email protected]
I would give this to my cousin (age 14) as she just recently lost her mom in a car accident. She was in the car at the time and is still recovering. Thanks for such a sweet and pretty prize! ~ :)
jmagloro[at]ywave.com
Love to give to twin grandughters sarah woods [email protected]
I volunteer as a "Big Sister" to youths in our inner city and Angela is my "Little Sister" who is 12. She doesn't have much so I would love to present this to her when she turns 13 in May.
My closest friend's daughter
I'd give this to my Aunt who's following her life long dreams.
My sweet lovely wife is going to wear this lovely item.
Who else than my love and the mother of my children
My wife of 42 years that was with me through many tough times. I was unhealthy and needed 8 major operations and she was there for me always.
My daugher who will be 13 in a few months.
Angie K
[email protected]
I have three daughters, so they would have to share it . . . [email protected]
My daughter. So she will always remember to follow her dreams!
I would give it to my oldest daughter.
I would give the necklace to my beautiful grandaughter Savannah, my heart......
Grandma
I would give it to my oldest grandaughter who is a hard worker, has great values and is working her way thru college. She is a great roll model [email protected]
i would give it to my beautiful daughter sierra :)
[email protected]
I would give it to the special woman in my life, who I'm sure would love it immensely.
Of course I would give this to my little girl :)
I would love to give this to my 17 year old daughter. She's been thru so much in the last year and a half with four different health issues and just life issues in general. But no matter what, she never takes her eyes off the Lord, and she's always willing to give more than she receives. Even with her health she's been able to volunteer more than 120 hours of her time, she's taking high school and college classes as a high school junior, working a part-time job, and wants desperately to become an attorney. I've always told her to follow her heart to her dreams and I know she'll go far.
I would give this to my younger sister, who is at a pivitol point in her life right now :)
Great contest!
I would give this to my daughter, on active duty in the Air Force, because she has so many dreams and I hope she reaches them all.
I would give this to my 13 year old...
I think every 13 year old needs to know this message
I would give it to my mom
I would give it to my 10 year old daughter ,because I want her to know that anything is possbile and she can make anything out of her life that she wants to.
The mean little girls at school have been making her feel down lately and I want to remind her how special and talented she is.
[email protected]
I would give it to my neice who is about to turn 13.
Great message, I would love this for my sister!
I have a large family, but I think that I would give this to my daughter who is 16.
My sweetheart! My youngest daughter, she is 10!
I would give this to my daughter.
I would give this to my mom, who lives 700+ miles away and is coming to visit next month!
[email protected]
I would give it to myself.
I would give this to my 7 year old daughter.
I would give it to my niece.
I would give it to my daughter
I would love to give this necklace to my younger sister. At 16, she has been such a true and loving inpitation to me.
I'd give this to my step-daughter-in-law. She's amazing and my step-son loves her!!
[email protected]
i[d give it to my daughter, she's trying to find herself at the moment.
I'd give it to my daughter, she's amazing!
I would save it for my granddaughter.
I would give this neclace to my mother who raised eight kids virtually on her own.
I would give it to my niece. Her mom, my sister, is now in chemotherapy due to breast cancer. My niece is only 12 years old yet has shown so much courage during this time. She is such a help to her mom both with her younger sisters as well as giving her support, strength and love. She is simply amazing for someone so young.
thank you for the great contest
enter me please
pethof (at) gmail (dot) com
I'd give it to my daughter
one of my nieces
The older of my two nieces, which would mean that I would have to get a second one for Hannah.
[email protected]
I would love to give this to my daughter. As a freckled faced redhead with bright red curly hair she gets picked on sometimes for the way she looks. I would love to be able to give her a message that she has with her everyday reminding her how beautiful she truely is!
lisalmg (at) ktis (dot) net
My daughter would love this.
I would give it to my daughter.
I would give this to my mother
This would be great for my niece's 9th birthday!
I would love to give this to my daughter
I would love to give this to my granddaughter for her 13th birthday in May.
njones127 at tampabay dot rr dot com
Hello, I have a niece who is one of three children of my sister-in-law.
She is my husband's adopted much younger sister. H. has two sons younger than my niece. All 3 have been fathered by different men. My in-laws are basically raising all three of the children! Because, they are part Thai, American and African American, I feel that my niece has trouble knowing where she fits in!
She is a large size girl for her 13 years of age, which doesn't help. I would love to present here with this wonderful gift. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks,Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
i would give it to my God-Daughter, she is 16.
I would give it to my daughter...lovely!
Sherri
[email protected]
I'd give it to my daughter.
Definitely my mom!
[email protected]
My Princess, Granddaughter
My best friend's 13 year old daughter...
I would give this to my mon
I would love to give this to my daughter .
i'd give it to my cousin cuz she's going through and awkward phase.
I'd give it to a special student of mine that has been spending her recess time helping me with my first graders. Thanks!
i would give this to my niece!
I'd give it to my daughter. She is a mom and going through some tough times right now.
I think I'd give it to my sister
I'd give this to my mom. She's been there for me whenever I've needed her and this would be a great way to thank her.
[email protected]
my niece- who has been having a tough time since her dad died of cancer
I would give it to my daughter
My only neice turns 13 late this year so I would give it to her.I want to make it a birthday she will never forget!
My 12 year old daughter is heading into that teen angst thing. She could use the reminder.
I would give it to my daughter as a special treasure. She loves to use her dad's compass but it would be great for her to grow into her own.
i would like to give it to my daughter
I would give it to one of my daughters.
I would give this to my little sis, Jackie. She is so strong I think that she would love this gift. Thank You so much.
My mother
i would give it to my little love, ella!! what a great giveaway!! thanks so much!!
My granddaughter!
moms getting this!
I have a friend that is soon to be a mom for the first time. I would give it to her.
[email protected]
I would love this for my beautiful daughter who just turned 18 and is so excited to be getting ready to follow her dream of going to college! And she's the one who made it happen with all her hard work.
I would love to be able to give this to my oldest granddaughter. She is so precious and it would be so wonderful for her as she goes into the teen years.
I would give this to my niece. She turns 12 next month.
kelli (at) pfrog (dot) net
i want to win
I would give it to my 12 year old granddaughter, she is very special to me! Thanks for the giveaway.
Perfect! for little Beck! Thanks
I would give this to my 14 year old niece.
love to win this prize
I would give this to my little sister that is about to graduate highschool. What a great necklace and a powerful message!! [email protected]
How wonderful! I am off to check the website now!!
I would give it to my Aunt who just finished chemo. It would be very special.
[email protected]
I'd give to my niece. Her mother died in January and her dad, my brother, is dying of prostrate and lung cancer. She needs inspiration now.
My wife, who is expecting!
I would present the necklace to my favorite niece ~ it's perfect for her :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!
love jewelry!
I would give it to my grand-daughter because she has by heart.
my wonderful daughter
great gift idea
I would give it to my oldest daughter. I would like to let her know that she is so very special to me, and the day she was born was the day that my life really began.
My Grand-daughter would love this for her birthday.My heart belongs to her.
My daughter
My daughter is young, but I'd like to keep it for her for when she's older. I tell her this stuff verbally even now, at 2 1/2, and when she's old enough the necklace can be a reminder for when she's not with me 24/7.
I would definitely give this to my 16 1/2 year old daughter -
I would give this to one of my cousins. One is about to graduate from high school and the other two don't get to do many girly things because they have multiple brothers.
I'd give this to my beautiful granddaughter
tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
I would give it to the girl who lives next door.
I would give this to a young girl I work with.
She is 17 and lives on her own.
She amazes me a times!!
This would be perfect for her.
My granddaughter she is 10 and has gone through alot lately.
I would give the necllace to my neice
MY GRANDAUGHTER
I'd give it to my Goddaughter
I would love to give this to my mother.
My daughter who is 11 just became a woman last month. Sometimes I find myself watching her, shaking my head at times as to what an incredible woman she is becoming. I am so proud of her and want her to know that nothing is impossible and reaching for the stars is just a grasp away. I would love to win this for daughter, to celebrate her future and what dreams can be accomplished.
I would give this to my girlfriend.
I would give the necklace to my daughter. thank you
my sister, Julie. she married a guy w/ 2 kids and she raised them as if they were her own
My daughter is right at this age, it would be perfect for her.
MY DAUGHTER
I would give it to my daughter.
I will give this to my mom!
I would give this to my 14 year old niece, who is having a hard time this year with weight gain and illness. She could use some encouragement. Lovely necklace!
I would present this to my daughter. She is almost 16. She is so unsure of herself, always questioning her abilities and self worth. Regardless of what we do.
She is turning into a wonderful, responsible young lady. Since the birth of her little sister a little over a year ago, I am sure she is feeling a little left out.
Thanks for this contest!
my oldest grand daughter would love it.
I would give it to my husband's niece whom I have become close to. I want to be the COOL AUNT!
My new granddaughter will be turning 1 in about two weeks and I would love to set this aside and give it to her when she gets older. My husband passed away eight years ago and his daughter and I miss him very much...this looks like something he would chose to let his granddaughter just how much he loves her. Thank you for the contest!
I would be the best aunt ever because I would give it to my niece.
Would give the necklace to my granddaughter.
I would love to give this to my daughter who is almost 14 :)
i would give this to my youngest daughter- she has been trough some trying times healthwise and jobwise, but she never gives up. it has made her such a wonderful person, that i look up to.
granddaughter
I would give this to my best friend. She just broke up with her fiance after being together for 13 years. Her father was also just put into a nursing home in the same week. She works hard, she is generous and kind and she is having a very bad time right now. I love her and I would love to give this to her.
my mom,she never treats herself!! [email protected]
Would love to give this to my granddaughter
perfect for my newly acquired step-neice
[email protected]
My niece is graduating highschool in May. This would be the perfect gift for her.
My niece.
I don't have any children but I volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. The young girl I sponsor would love to have this at age 12!
[email protected]
my niece rylee
I have a 12 yr old who is in definite need of this :) Thank you!!
My cousin's daughter would love this.
My granddaughter would love this!
Oops forgot my email address;)
[email protected]
I would be eternally grateful If I could win this gift for my cousin. She just turned 13 and just a few days later her mother went to prison.
I won't ramble on with the whole sob story, but she is slipping into that whole I'm a depressed "goth" girl now and losing her way. She's a good girl who is so much stronger and more beautiful than she realizes. Maybe this could be a way to remind her how special she is without being a "preachy" adult?
Sorry it was so long :)
Thanks, Kelly
I'd definitely give this necklace to my 13 year old daughter.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
Definitely my mom, she could use some extra encouragement right now
MY DARLING GRANDAUGHTER
I would give it to my mom
My daughter
I think my cousin would be thrilled to receive this as a gift!
I would give this necklace to my daughter if I won, to remind her how special she is to me.
I would love to give this to my daughter .
I would love to be able to give this to my daughter
My BFF has 3 little girls and I would give it to the oldest one...
Caryn
My niece is just becoming a tween and I would give this to her after we spent a special day together.