The protected place in space and time that we once called childhood has grown shorter. Mary Pipher More Quotes by Mary Pipher More Quotes From Mary Pipher In all the years I've been a therapist, I've yet to meet one girl who likes her body. Mary Pipher anorexiagirlyears Courage has become Raiders of the Lost Ark, or riding in spaceships, killing people, taking enormous physical risks. To me, the kind of courage that's really interesting is someone whose spouse has Alzheimer's and yet manages to wake up every morning and be cheerful with that person and respectful of that person and find things to enjoy even though their day is very, very difficult. That kind of courage is really undervalued in our culture. Mary Pipher alzheimerscouragemorning Girls who stay true to themselves manage to find some way to respect the parts of themselves that are spiritual. They work for the betterment of the world. Girls who act from their false selves are often cynical about making the world a better place. They have given up hope. Only when they reconnect with the parts of themselves that are alive and true will they again have the energy to take on the culture and fight to save the planet. Mary Pipher girlfightingspiritual It's important for parents to watch for trouble and convey to their daughters that, if it comes, they are strong enough to deal with it. Parents who send their [adolescent] daughters the message that they'll be overwhelmed by problems aren't likely to hear what's really happening. Mary Pipher daughterparentstrong Prayer is vastly superior to worry. With worry, we are helpless; with prayer, we are interceding. When I hear sad news, I try to say a prayer for the victims. When I am troubled, I will say a prayer that asks for relief for myself and for all those who suffer as I do. When I am concerned about my relatives or friends I say a short prayer to myself - "May they be happy and free of suffering." Mary Pipher prayerworrypeace Good therapy, gently but firmly, moves people out of denial and compartmentalization. It helps clients to develop richer inner lives and greater self-knowledge. It teaches clients to live harmoniously with others and it enhances Existential consciousness, and allows people to take responsibility for their effects on the world at large. For me , happiness is about appreciating what one has. Practically speaking,this means lowering expectations about what is fair, possible and likely. It means,finding pleasure in the ordinary. Mary Pipher responsibilitymeanmoving Adolescence is a time when children are supposed to move away from parents who are holding firm and protective behind them. When the parents disconnect, the children have no base to move away from or return to. They aren't ready to face the world alone. With divorce, adolescents feel abandoned, and they are outraged at that abandonment. They are angry at both parents for letting them down. Often they feel that their parents broke the rules and so now they can too. Mary Pipher divorcechildrenmoving Telling stories never fails to produce good in the universe. Mary Pipher producefailingstories The fullness of life comes from an identity built on giving and on joy. Mary Pipher fullness-of-lifejoygiving Many young women are less whole and androgynous than they were at age ten. They are more appearance-conscious and sex-conscious. They are quieter, more fearful of holding strong opinions, more careful what they say and less honest. They are more likely to second-guess themselves and to be self-critical. They are bigger worriers and more effective people pleasers. They are less likely to play sports, love math and science and plan on being president. They hide their intelligence. Many must fight for years to regain all the territory they lost. Mary Pipher stronglovesports Language imparts identity, meaning, and perspective to our human condition. Writers are either polluters or part of the cleanup. Mary Pipher perspectivelanguageidentity If there's a therapist who wants a writing project, I think there's a need for a book about how the culture affects the mental health of boys. Mary Pipher writingboysbook Real friends require honesty, openness, and even vulnerability. They also require attention and simple acts of kindness. Mary Pipher honestykindnessfriendship Adolescents are travelers, far from home with no native land, neither children nor adults. They are jet-setters who fly from one country to another with amazing speed. Sometimes they are four years old, an hour later they are twenty-five. They don't really fit anywhere. There's a yearning for place, a search for solid ground. Mary Pipher homecountrychildren Girls developed eating disorders when our culture developed a standard of beauty that they couldn't obtain by being healthy. When unnatural thinness became attractive, girls did unnatural things to be thin. Mary Pipher anorexiahealthygirl Parents wrongly assume that their daughters live in a world similar to the one they experienced as adolescents. They are dead wrong. Their daughters live in a media-drenched world floded with junk values. As girls turn from their parents, they turn to this world for guidance about how to be an adult. Mary Pipher daughtermediagirl I want to write. I have always wanted to write. I do not care it I am not good at it. I just want to try. Mary Pipher carewritingtrying All geniuses born women are lost to the public good. Mary Pipher borngeniuslost Something dramatic happens to girls in early adolescence. Just as planes and ships disappear mysteriously into the Bermuda Triangle, so do the selves of girls go down in droves. Mary Pipher trianglesgirlself True freedom has more to do with following the North Star than going whichever way the wind blows. Sometimes it seems like freedom is blowing with the winds of the day, but that kind of freedom is really an illusion. It turns your boat in circles. Freedom is sailing toward your dreams. Mary Pipher starsblowdream
