Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Boyfriends, dating and marriage.
All are important discussion topics for moms and daughters, but finding the best opening for the conversation can be tricky.
Susan Ulsher and her 13-year-old daughter, Sarah, found a door that worked just right for them — a book.
They are members of a mom and daughter book club sponsored by the Omaha Public Library, and during the past year have read about a dozen books together as part of the group.
The popularity of the mom-daughter clubs has been growing nationally, partly because of an increasing selection of young adult fiction that appeals to both teens and adults, said Marcia Warner, president of the American Public Library Association.
Moms and daughters are also recognizing that the clubs provide a way to bond and discuss all those thorny issues that confront girls in junior high and high school like boys, peer pressure and cliques, she said.
The Omaha Public Library started its first mother-daughter club about five years ago and now sponsors at least three, said Sarah English, youth services coordinator for the library system.
"It's an opportunity for parents to get closer to their children when they are (sometimes) going in different directions," she said. "It opens up so many avenues for conversations.
The Council Bluffs Public Library has discussed starting a mother-daughter club and might get one going in the future, said Dianne Herzog, manager of youth services.
Cindy Hudson, an author in Portland, Ore., started a website on mother-daughter clubs in 2007. She launched the site after she had difficulty finding recommended books, discussion questions and other help for the books clubs she was in with her two daughters. Her site offers that kind of assistance.
Her website drew enough interest that she decided to write a book on the topic published in 2009, "Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs."
The Ulshers belong to a club at the Millard branch library that meets Saturdays and usually draws five pairs of moms and daughters.
They both enjoyed a book called "Matched," which explores a world where a person's mate is selected by the government at age 17.
Susan Ulsher said the book prompted discussions with her daughter about relationships and how to know when you have the right fit. Susan said she used her husband — Sarah's dad — as an example.
She told her daughter that when she and her husband began dating they realized they both liked reading, hiking and action-thriller movies. Susan told her daughter that common interests can be one sign that you've found the right person.
The Ulshers also learned from a book called "The Lonely Hearts Club," which focuses on a girl who gets tired of high school dating and forms a club of young women determined to be happy without boys.
Sarah said her mom told her about her own troubles in junior high and how it was important to have good friends for support, particularly if there are problems with boys.
"We get to hear ideas from each other that we wouldn't normally talk about,'' she said.
English said that "Matched" is good example of young adult fiction that would appeal to girls and moms. Others include the "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" series.
Even books that have been around for decades, such as the "Little House" series, have broad appeal to moms and daughters.
English said the "Harry Potter" books, first published more than a decade ago, helped launch the current boom in young adult fiction. The "Harry Potter" series convinced publishers and authors that there is a strong market for fiction that kids and adults can enjoy, she said.
Increases in young adult books and other materials in the Omaha library system reflect the popularity, she said.
Last year the library had more than 40,670 young adult materials, up from about 37,900 in 2009.
Susan Ulsher said that as her daughter has gotten older and wants to become more independent it's become harder to find activities to do together. They use to go to a lot of movies together but these days her daughter often just wants to go with her friends.
The book club gives them a common interest.
"It's something we can both experience,'' the mom said.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1122, michael.oconnor@owh.com
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