Make a communication journal for you and your girl

I am in continually trying  to guide my 9 year old daughter.   We have created a very close relationship and are able to talk about anything and everything.   At 9, she is at a very piviotal developmental stage.  She is forming many of the thoughts and ideals that she will hold for a very long time.    As she continually brings to me questions on friends, love, hurts, dreams, prayers, fears, sex, I try to answer her honestly with the information she needs at this age, with understanding and love, and with a bible verse.  

I have a found that she is constantly in thought about the world around her and sometimes she waits to ask me a question because she doesn't know how to bring it up to me.  In my own life I have found that writing to someone is easier than saying it to them (the writer in me).  So I came up with an idea to create a communication journal between me and my oldest girl blessing!

The journal is a special place for my daughter and I to write back and fourth to each other about topics that might be to hard to discuss face to face, at first.   Its a conversation starter and then find time to be alone and talk longer and more in depth.  These could include her thoughts about her body, her self image, sex, fears, a new poem she wrote, anything.   The point is to tell her this is a place for us to communicate about anything back and fourth.  This journal is in no way suppose to take the place of face to face talking time but just another creative way to keep encouraging a strong relationship.


You could have a secret place to put the journal, so if she wants to initiate a conversation about something a friend said to her that made her sad, she can write that in her journal and leave it under your pillow.   You could then write back with what you want to share with her and return it under her pillow.  Get creatvie and make it personal to your unique child and your unique relationship.  This is your opportunity to guide your girl through her struggles and thoughts in this world, not anyone else.


1. Use any notebook, I love the black and white composition notebooks
2. Sit down and introduce the concept of the communication journal and "alter" you journal together with special papers, stickers, etc.
3. Use paperclip to divide the journal into 6 sections or so and add paper tabs to label each section accordingly (ex. friends, family, fears, body, prayers, helpful scriptures, whatever is relevant to your daughter)
4. Cut a piece of pretty ribbon and use it to place as a page holder

Enjoy leading and guiding your daughter through this exceptional age and growing closer to each other during this time!