Last week, Casiday looked at me and said, “I know you don’t like when people talk about how many likes they have on social media, but my picture of Mamaw has over 100. Isn’t that sweet?”
I smiled at her because, for that one moment, I knew she’d been listening to all I’ve been telling her since we opened her first social media account when she turned 13. She may not agree or understand, but she has heard me repeat over and over that social media likes are not a measure of her value or worth.
It’s so easy for our girls (and their mommas) to allow likes and hearts and retweets and favorites to influence how they see themselves and how they understand their value and place in the world. It breaks my heart, y’all. Truly.
Which is why Kari Kampakis’s new book, LIKED: Whose approval are you living for? has the #1 spot on my gift guide for teenage girls this Christmas. {Gift guide will be available Thursday!!}
LIKED: Whose approval are you living for?
Kari has four daughters of her own and she speaks “girl” really well. I loved her gentle yet honest tone throughout the book. She speaks with authority and compassion about the very real world our girls live in.
From the first pages, Kari encourages girls to consider this important question:
Would you rather be liked and noticed—or loved and known?
Can I just tell you, this is a question I can struggle with myself. It’s a very real thing to want to be liked … and if it’s a reality in my life at 45 there is no doubt of the ways this desire can impact girls who are younger.
Some of the topics Kari covers include:
- The real you is better than the false you. Be true to yourself.
- Through technology, you speak to an audience. Use your voice for good. Be an encourager, not a critic.
- There’s a difference between online friends and real friends.
- God is calling you to a life of service and active faith, not fame and self-promotion.
Using helpful lists such as “Twenty Tips for Positive Social Media Habits” and “Eight Ways to Deal with Hard Emotions,” LIKED is incredibly practical. Throughout the book, Kari has included short quizzes like “How Loyal Are You?” and “Are You a Leader or a Follower?” These quizzes help girls identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as specific ways to improve themselves in theses areas. And, each chapter concludes with discussion questions which are a great way for moms or small group leaders to help girls process and apply what they’ve read.
Our girls are facing challenges and situations we cannot fathom. Their world with social media is vastly different from the one we grew up in and sometimes I am just not sure how to approach topics and situations. Kari’s book truly helped me see in a different light some of the issues my daughter and her friends are facing.
If you’re the mom of a tween or teen girl, you need to read this book!
And then you need to give it to your daughter to read. I’m not joking when I say it’s my top gift recommendation for teenage girls this Christmas — I can’t think of a single girl I know who wouldn’t be encouraged and challenged by Kari’s words in LIKED: Whose approval are you living for?
And, because I think it’s such a great book, I want to give away a copy to one of you! How does that sound?? Enter to win below and share this giveaway with others.
Excited about #LikedBook by @karikampakis! A #MustRead for teen girls. #girlmoms Share on X
You can also purchase this book now in major retailers and online. If you order from Amazon Prime, you’ll have your copy by the end of the week. Here is my affiliate link for the book on Amazon (if you purchase through it, I will receive a small commission which I always use to buy even more books!) — LIKED: Whose approval are you living for?
xoxo,
Teri Lynne
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And, since I mentioned the image Casiday shared with all the likes, I thought I’d also share it with you … because sometimes social media gets such a bad rap and this is one of those instances where it was used in such a beautiful way.
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