Learn How To Survive/Thrive Teen Years at Mom-Daughter Workshop

What if teenage daughters could see their mothers as a great ally as they grew up and became independent? What if mothers could create safety for a teen daughter’s experience of herself, consciously guiding her to be who she was born to be?

What?! Sign me up!

Being a mom of a teen daughter is challenging, especially in today’s culture with a barrage of social media, peer pressure, and everyday stress that forces girls to grow up too fast. Moms ride a rollercoaster of emotions with our mini me’s. We are each other’s worst enemy and then best ally in the time it takes to get a spa pedicure.

If only there was a parenting manual on how to navigate our way through middle school, high school, and beyond. A resource that is as relevant and timely for moms as it is to our impressionable daughters so that we are both thinking on the same page. Wait a minute…there is such a book that speaks to us. It’s called Mothering and Daughtering. Keeping Your Bond Strong Through The Teen Years. Better yet, the co-authors are mom-daughter duo Sil and Eliza Reynolds, who live in The Big Apple and will be here in St. Louis next weekend as part of the Girls In The Know (GITK) mom-daughter empowerment celebration. Girls, it’s about to get real!

For sure, the mother-daughter relationship is the most complex one of all, and perhaps no one understands the dynamics of this erratic dance better than Sil and Eliza who collaborated on this bestseller. When it comes to surviving and thriving the rocky adolescent years and into adulthood, this mom-daughter duo has been there, done that. For the last 10 years, they have travelled the country, from the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York to the Esalen retreat center in California, inspiring moms and their preteen daughters to “meet in the middle” and create a deeper, more meaningful relationship. And they also know girls just wanna have fun—so they have planned an engaging weekend of ritual, storytelling, art, and exercises in communication that will no doubt create special memories. Through creative strategies and games, moms and their daughters will learn new ways of being together in mutual respect and love—and have a blast!

“It has been our experience—in contrast to conventional wisdom—that preteen and teenage daughters actually want and need a close relationship with their mother,” said Eliza, who graduated from her mom’s alma mater Brown University with a degree in gender studies. “I’m so excited to hit the road with my Mama Sil, heading into 10 years of teaching together, 10 years on the road together, in this bizarre ecstatic cranky rupture-filled transparent mother/daughter dance of Mothering & Daughtering.”

Eliza and her mom, by the way, have coined these words that should be added to the dictionary:

“mothering”—raising your daughter to become herself.

 “daughtering”—staying real with your mom.

Sil and 24-year-old Eliza will be in St Louis January 16-17 for the 1^st time as the special guest speakers and workshop leaders at the upcoming GITK mom-daughter workshop retreat. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to get it right. You’ll learn the strategic tools to really communicate, trust, and understand each other, while building a mother-daughter bond for life. They will hold our hand and take us on a journey of love, laughter and learning as we reclaim this precious, fleeting time we have with our young daughters.

GITK, in partnership with Express Scripts, will host a series of events that has something for everyone from both the mother and daughter’s perspective, which is how their book is written. Sil, a registered nurse and licensed therapist, wrote half the book, and Eliza, who has been life coaching with her mom since she was 15 years old, wrote the other half. In the book, and more in-depth in their lecture and workshop, they challenge modern culture’s acceptance of peer orientation and help us understand how building a strong mother-daughter bond in adolescence is key in leading our daughters to reach their fullest potential.

“We have made our way through the trials and tribulations of Eliza’s adolescence to find ourselves in a relationship that we both feel good about— one that is intimate, strong, and satisfying. It is our passion—indeed what feels to be a combined life purpose—to guide mothers and daughters in strengthening their bond through the teen years and beyond,” said Sil.

The keynote conversation kicks off Saturday, Jan 16, 10 a.m.-noon, at Kirkwood High School, with KMOV’s Emily Rau as the Oprah-style moderator and Khalia Collier, owner/manager of the St. Louis Surge women’s basketball team, as the emcee. So get ready for some action—because Sil and Eliza don’t hold anything back! We know teens are super busy and if your daughter is unable (or unwilling) to attend the morning event, we get it. That’s why moms are encouraged to take advantage of a morning out and come with or without their daughters. Just tell your teen there will be lots of snacks and raffle prizes, too! Also, with every adult ticket purchased, you get a FREE raffle ticket!

Following the keynote-speaking event, the 2-day mother-daughter workshop retreat begins, 2-6 p.m., at Maryville University, and continues on Sunday, January 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The weekend concludes with a community book reading and signing party, 3-5 p.m., at Eileen Fisher store in Plaza Frontenac. The book reading is free and open to the public—your daughter and her friends will love it! You can participate in all 3 events, or just one or two. Go HERE for more info and to register for the keynote speaking event and workshop retreat.

If you’re lucky enough to snag one of the spots in the mom-daughter workshop retreat (space is limited to 20 pairs of moms/daughters for an intimate, personal experience), then you’re in for a transformational treat! Sil and Eliza have based their workshop on their favorite novel, Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent.

“We have created a comfy, cozy place for the mothers and daughters to rest, to read, to nap, to snuggle up, to rub lotion on their hands, to create art and decorate our altar to the sacred feminine (whatever that means to them in today’s modern world!), to giggle and share stories. The Red Tent has been such a heart pulse of our work, and a part of the workshop that the mothers and daughters (especially the daughters!) enjoy so much,” said Sil.

“Our message doesn’t align with modern culture—a message that will have real impact in reducing bullying, suicide, and low self esteem among our young girls by opening lines of communication and strengthening their bond between moms and their daughters. The solution lies in our hands and the idea is that building healthy confident young women and leaders of tomorrow depends on how we raise them in earlier years.”

No wonder GITK is so excited to bring this mom-daughter powerhouse to the community. The GITK mission is to educate and empower moms and their preteen daughter while encouraging positive decisions and healthy behaviors as girls mature and become independent. And this aligns beautifully with Sil and Eliza’s message, which is a real game changer and is guaranteed to have a significant impact in reducing bullying, suicide, and low self-esteem among our youth, especially girls. In the workshop, Sil and Eliza will lead mothers and their preteen daughters in a weekend of initiation, communication, and celebration. Participants will take time to nourish their relationship and learn how to respect and understand each other more completely. Through ritual, storytelling, art, and exercises in communication, participants will gain tools that build bridges and keep those bridges strong through the teen years.

In the workshop, mothers have time with Sil to share the joys and challenges of mothering a preteen, including working on strategies for keeping the bond strong and finding the balance of holding on and letting go. Daughters will hang out with Eliza (also known as “professional big sister”) to express their feelings and share their vision—not only as daughters, but also as emerging teens and young women and talk about whatever is on their minds, from school and friends to sex and body image. As a group, mothers and daughters will learn new ways of being together in mutual respect and love.

Sil and Eliza get rave reviews wherever they go: “Sil and Eliza Reynolds are doing pioneering work in one of the trickiest passages known to humankind: the transition into adolescence on the mother-daughter journey. Courage, love, and intelligence, combined with humor and celebration—these are their tools to help teen girls and their mothers recreate a strong mother-daughter bond for life,” said Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of Omega Institute, and author of Broken Open.

And Eileen Fisher said, “Mothering and Daughtering has been deeply meaningful to us. Sil and Eliza have given us practical tools and wisdom that transformed our relationship and deepened our bond during the challenging teenage years. This beautifully written book is fresh with creative ideas and is a gift to all mothers and their teenage daughters.”

Even if you can’t make the keynote conversation and workshop retreat, please come by the Eileen Fisher store in Plaza Frontenac for a book reading and have Sil and Eliza personally autograph your copy! Eileen Fisher is a socially conscious company with more than 60 retail stores nationwide, including a chic boutique in Plaza Frontenac. Eileen Fisher is a pioneer in eco-friendly fashion and in supporting global initiatives that empower women and girls, so GITK is honored to be working with them.

GITK is also proud to be in partnership with Express Scripts, which is headquartered in St Louis and makes the use of prescription drugs safer and more affordable. Express Scripts has made it possible for students at Earl Nance Sr. Elementary School to participate in the workshop and build strong, healthy bonds with their mothers.

“The funds raised at this year’s Knowledge & Power event are critical to our ability to serve every mother and daughter regardless of her financial status.  Every $125 raised provides a full scholarship for one mother and daughter pair to attend our speaker series workshop and allows us to honor our vision to never have to turn anyone away,” said GITK Director Gina Marten.

“At Nance Elementary, we strive to cultivate the authenticity of our girls as they become community leaders with class.  We are grateful to GITK and Express Scripts for the opportunity to participate in the Knowledge and Power Event, as it coincides with our district and school vision,” said Jana Haywood, Principal of Earl Nance Sr. Elementary School.

Indeed, Express Scripts and GITK share the same mission. “As a mother of a 21-year old daughter, I know the importance of providing the tools and resources for young girls to be successful in today’s world.  The programs that GITK provides are instrumental in helping girls develop a strong sense of self,” said Susan Stith, Sr. Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Corporate Giving at Express Scripts.

So don’t miss this opportunity to share quality time with your daughter and invest in a loving, lifelong bond! Just think—it’s cheaper than a pair of Ugg boots, and love never goes out of style.

Go HERE for more details and to register!