Milestones in Parenting, Part One

Nothing like a hard deadline to kill lingering, steadfast procrastination. In advance of next week’s showing of the health video, “introduction to puberty” to the 4^th grade student body, I had “the talk” with my ten-year old daughter. Spoiler alert – mission accomplished. We have enjoyed the successful launch, Introduction to Puberty to our firstborn, eldest of three daughters. Even if you are not a parent of pre-teens, we can all remember the confusing and exciting transition from grade school child to awkward, pimple popping young adult. This is big.

Being a PR professional I had prepped my audience, aka my 4^th grader by supplying her with key messages, enticingly delivered in bright colors and cute images of diverse looking girls as seen on the cover of The Care & Keeping of YOU, by American Girl. My original strategy was to enjoy mother daughter time reading the book together. However, my target audience rejected this outreach.

I left the launch materials with the target and I circled back at a later time with follow-up. I was informed that the book had indeed been read with her best friend. Initial response to messaging? I was informed it was kind of gross and, well yucky and embarrassing. Key messages delivered and noted additional in-person pitching would be necessary to secure successful launch.

Next step was to create an attractive, can’t say no event opportunity for the target audience, a food loving, shopping obsessed, pre-teen girl. The event? Lunch and shopping at nearby shopping mall with a Nordstrom café and a kid’s Abercrombie. Event accepted.

During a lunch of lobster bisque (my daughter) and shrimp salad (me) we started the event with small talk, a few word games and some friendly tic tac toe found on the back of our Nordstrom kid’s menu. Once my target audience seemed at ease and enjoying her lunch, I began the “pitch” with a few easy questions designed to warm my target to the full launch. “Did she read the whole book, were there any chapters that she found particularity useful or interesting?” Not much response here. I needed to be more direct. I kept to the scripted key messages from the book. Why reinvent the wheel? I dove right into some of the physical changes that would happen.

Although my target had confirmed that she read all of the key messages enclosed in the book, experience has taught me to never assume that the messages are read and remembered.

Often when delivering a critical pitch, it’s difficult to tell if the target audience is engaging and buying into the story. As a communications professional, I’ve honed this skill over time and I have learned to ask questions and to listen for when the target seems responsive to any of the key points. In this case I had a winner with hormones.

The introduction of hormones was prefaced with the idea that while there are many obvious physical changes we can see during puberty, there are also changes that we cannot see, such as hormones. While we cannot see hormones, their presence is just as real and just as important to recognize. I mentioned that there would be times when emotions will be extreme. Laughing one moment and crying the next. Often without a reason. My target aka, my daughter responded to this by telling me about a recent episode during math class. She had a paper cut, it didn’t really hurt but suddenly she was sobbing over long division. At the time she dismissed this uncharacteristic outburst of emotion (Did I mention my ten year old daughter is not particularly expressive? Stoic and reserved come to mind). A connection was had. Recognition gleaned in her eyes. I felt like a rock star.

For long-term success of the launch of a new concept, my work is not done. The initial launch was a success. I will need to continue engaging with my target audience, providing updates to the information and repeating the key messages. My hope is that my target audience and I will enjoy a lifetime of engagement, experiencing each new milestone, together. Call me a happy mom. Big exhale and “phew!”