Author: Kari Kampakis
Located in: Birmingham, AL
Submitted: December 15, 2020
Tell us a little about yourself. I'm a mom of 4 daughters who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. I have 3 teenage daughters - and 1 pre-teen daughter - and my passion is starting meaningful conversations between mothers and daughters, especially as girls navigate the tricky waters of adolescence. Since I'm in the trenches myself, I wrote this book to encourage moms like me and remind us that we are meant to parent with a spirit of strength, not a spirit of defeat.
This is my 1st book for moms, but 3rd book to write. My first two books are for teen girls, but all 3 are designed to empower females through faith.
What was your motivation behind this project? As my daughters entered the teen years, I made many mistakes. I tried to parent them the same way I did when they were young, and it backfired. It widened the gulf between us. This sent me on a search of how to parent a teenage daughter while also loving a teenage daughter. I wanted to share my experiences to help other moms, and also pass on the advice I've heard and the insight I've gained from writing for teenage girls and spending time with many adults who shape today's girls.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope moms will feel empowered to faithfully continue loving their teenage daughter - even when that love in not reciprocated - and intentionally building a stronger relationship.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? As soon as I started the manuscript, one of my daughters and I entered into a season of locking horns. As my inner critic screamed, "Who do you think you are to write this? You're totally unqualified!" I realized I had a choice. I could either give up and accept defeat - and lean into these feelings and write from a place of vulnerability. How I felt was how many of my readers would feel as they picked up the book, so I kept going with the hope that my personal experience would make the book feel even more real and relatable.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? My favorite writer is C.S. Lewis. This book was also influenced by the books I read to help myself in raising teen girls, like THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF TEENAGERS, UNTANGLED, THE TEENAGE BRAIN, and all the books by Sissy Goff at Daystar Ministries in Nashville.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: I'm very grateful for you! And I want you to know how deeply loved you are by your Creator even on your worst days of parenting. Resting in and receiving this love makes all the difference in helping us do the hard work of raising, guiding, and loving our children.
