Published: Thursday, April 15, 2010

While our culture is seeking to rob little girls of their innocence, best-selling author Dannah Gresh has been fighting on the front lines to protect them. Developed from a series of books she had written, Gresh’s fun mom/daughter connecting resources have moved to the stage in a brand new touring event playing cities across the nation and will soon arrive in Madison.

The 2010 Secret Keeper Girl tour will stop locally in Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison, Alabama on May 8. The event starts at 6 p.m. with tickets available online at www.asburyumc.ws or locally at Asbury UMC Reception desk (980 Hughes Road) or Lifeway Christian Bookstore (6275 University Drive).

Tickets are $10 in advance. Tickets at the door will be $15.

Created as a relationship-building event for moms and their pre-teen daughters (typically ages 8-14), the two-hour event features dramatized stories about meaningful friendships, fun fashion shows that demonstrate modesty, gigantic balloon sculptures, flying saucer competitions and colorful confetti cannons. Although a handful of moms are featured with their own hilarious fashion show as they showcase vintage clothing styles from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the girls are also spotlighted with their own version called Truth or Bare. It’s designed to encourage discussions about modesty, peer pressure and showcase inner beauty.

The event and its creator have been featured in USA Today; Focus on the Family and other high profile media. “It’s cooler than ever to be a tween, but is childhood lost?” questioned the Today Show and USA

Today as they ran ‘stories on the pressures tween girls face in today’s culture. You can visit SecretKeeperGrll.com to see a brief video about the event and how it addresses these issues.

Although she doesn’t personally appear at most of the dates, Gresh explains the reason for the tour. “Today’s little girls (ages 8-14) face pressures their moms didn’t know until they were in high school. Friendships pressure them to have boyfriends and face mean girls while the culture pressures them to desire things that plunge them into premature adulthood. Research has shown the importance for mom’s to connect with their tween daughters before the challenging teen years begin. The response to this inspiring and memorable event has been amazing.”

Gresh goes on to explain “Our research revealed that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of early sexual activity, violence and alcohol and substance abuse for young girls is a parent-child connection, which is why we created the Secret Keeper Girl mom/daughter connecting resources in the first place. We wanted moms to have fun with proven tools that will help them coach their 8-14 year-old tween girls into meaningful friendships, true beauty, biblical modesty and vibrant purity.”

Friendships pressure them to have boyfriends and face mean girls while the culture pressures them to desire things that plunge them into premature adulthood. Research has shown the importance for mom’s to connect with their tween daughters before the challenging teen years begin. The response to this inspiring and memorable event has been amazing.”

Gresh goes on to explain “Our research revealed that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of early sexual activity, violence and alcohol and substance abuse for young girls is a parent-child connection, which is why we created the Secret Keeper Girl mom/daughter connecting resources in the first place. We wanted moms to have fun with proven tools that will help them coach their 8-14 year-old tween girls into meaningful friendships, true beauty, biblical modesty and vibrant purity.”