The world over, the Girl-Child is being celebrated annually not just because of their importance, but I think because of their peculiar nature. A female specie in the family that is faced with many life challenges.
They need care and should be celebrated even on a daily basis. Every good parent should not wait until the recommended date to commemorate the “International Day of the Girl-Child” in a year before the girl is celebrated.
Every good parenting rests solely on the mother.  The mother is the female parent in a family.  Good parenting practices must be showcased by women in homes.
Bringing up the girl-child in the right way requires understanding the girl’s developmental stages.  Choice of best styles of parenting tips is very important and effective use of the tips are also important.
Women should not be very authoritative when dealing with the girl-child. Deal with her in a manner that you allow her  express herself.
Permitting her to attend programmes that are not just religious but  programmes that will assist her in other life endeavours.
A mother should be in involved in the activities of the girl.  Find out what she does on the computer and hand phones (pinging).
A mother can never neglect her girl-child due to misunderstanding no matter how serious that issue may be.  She is still your child.  That mother/child bond must be maintained.
We are talking about the adolescent age, where the girl has started realizing what life is about.  At this stage, self-esteem  comes in. If the parent does not provide most of the needs of the girl-child, she may be tempted to start looking outside for assistance.  That ego that she is getting mature is definitely going to be there.
There are pretty things she needs for upkeep.  The choice of perfumery/toiletries comes in here. It is important that her undies are made available especially when the “monthly visitor” arrives.  A mother must move a step further to ensure that her girl is clean.
At this stage, she may be a student without purchasing power.  This is one of the greatest problems she has which the opposite sex does not.  If it is a family that finds it difficult to have 3-square meal per day, it exposes her to danger.
Disciplining the girl-child should be consistent, don’t skip days and weeks and must be limited. Excess of it may not work well in her life.
As women, don’t spend all the time on work and business and get the best result from them.
According to a child psychologist, the greatest problem in good parenting is time factor.  If women give more time to their female children, they will be free from STDs, HIV/AIDs unwanted pregnancy.
At the adolescent stage,  communication must be prioritised. A mother should be able to identify the problems associated with the age, sit her down and teach the dos and don’ts of the game. There must be effective communication between the mother and daughter since they are of the same sex. This is very important because there is a limit to a discussion between a father and daughter.
The girl-child deserves to be listened to and every mother must be a good listener. If you don’t listen carefully to your child, it can lead to communication breakdown.
Flexibility in the kind of decisions taken as a mother is important. In nurturing the adolescent girl, a mother should be  willing to adjust her parenting styles.
Mothers should bear in mind that female-child has the right to be born well and wants to have a wholesome family life.  She wants to be raised well to become a contributing member of the home and the society at large.
When you interact with them sometimes, you hear the kind of beautiful lives they want to live and achievements in future.   These can only manifest when the girl is put on the right path. They dream big when foundation is strongly built.
Basic needs of food, clothing and in fact basic education are very important if our girls have to be comfortable. Sometimes you hear them grumbling if their needs are not available.
It we must get it right, the female children must play when necessary and enjoy their youth.  We must protect them from danger because they are endangered species. When she falls into prey, unwanted pregnancy can occur, so that is the reason why they must live in a peaceful and productive environment.
They must be cared for.  Freedom is very important but to an extent.
A mother must continue to nurture the girl-child till she becomes a woman. Nurturing should not be at the adolescent stage we are celebrating annually but should start from birth through infancy, pre-school age to the adolescent stage.
At the crucial age of 11-18, even upto 20 years, the girl needs to be under parental authority as against her own wish.
In this era of higher need of academic pursuit and technology, the girl must excel.  The girl-child must be moulded so as to be able to represent parents well wherever she may find herself.
There are certain traits mothers need to know which manifest at the adolescent age. Some call it tempting age.  In a family where everyone goes to church together or in a family car, but the adolescents in the house will like to go alone to church.  A child who gets ready for school at 7am, suddenly stays in the bedroom till 7:30am and stands at the mirror for a couple of minutes and gets ready by 8am.  That shows that maturity is setting in with a lot of changes.
A good mother has to be calm, loving and caring considering that it is a stage of contradiction of likes and dislikes, hate, love, fear and trust.  If the foundation laid by mothers at the zero stage is solid, there will be mutual understanding.
Mothers must be careful at this stage because their reactions to changes may stop or hinder the girl or cause withdrawal.  The girl-child may also decide to run out of home.  In this case, mothers should use love to bring them back to reasoning because they become irrational sometimes.
When they begin to keep peers, mother must know whom their friends are.

By: Eunice Choko-Kayode