GIRL TALK: Two local mother-daughter organizations prioritize “social” over “media”

If you’re a parent of girls, you may have heard about two new organizations turning heads: Girlhood Charlotte and Growing Our Girls. Though not officially affiliated, their founders share a vision—to create new ways for moms and their daughters to connect.

Girlhood Charlotte

Diep Nguyen and Mary Queen created Girlhood Charlotte to solve a problem many moms of girls face—how to have about puberty and periods. Nguyen, a pediatrician with almost 20 years of experience, and Queen, a postpartum nurse, are both Atrium Health employees and mothers of teen girls. They say part of the answer lies in puberty parties.

What, exactly, is a puberty party? Think uterus-themed decorations, backpack-ready period kits as party favors, and lots of lighthearted fun. The co-founders explain that while moms and daughters—who typically know each other well before the event—arrive with a mix of emotions, they quickly settle in and enjoy themselves.

These get-togethers combine education and hands-on learning for eight girls and their moms in one of the mother-daughter pairs’ homes. Participants can examine a medical replica of a uterus and, if they choose, see how a tampon works with tap water. The medical professionals lead games and interactive discussions to keep everyone engaged.

Queen notes that many of the moms who attend these events say it’s not just the girls—usually 8 to 12 years old—having “aha” moments. “[In] every class , multiple moms come up and say that they learned something from the class, too,” she says. Nguyen adds that for most attendees, it’s a unique approach. “I didn’t have these conversations when I was growing up,” she says. “I just had to put it all together along the way.”

The founders are hoping to change the way conversations happen in families. “We have one day with them. They have every other day with their parents,” Nguyen says. “It takes practice learning to talk about uncomfortable things.”

Growing Our Girls

Growing Our Girls (GOG), founded last year by Kristin Mountcastle, a Dilworth mom of three girls ages 12, 10, and 8, takes a different approach. Rather than hosting puberty parties, GOG offers activities like yoga and community volunteer events to help mothers and daughters connect in real life.

For Mountcastle, who spent much of her career doing team development in the financial services and retail industries, this is an extension of her life’s work. “As moms, so much of our time with our girls is transactional,” she says. “Have you made your bed? Did you do your homework and brush your teeth? And just providing a space where Mom doesn’t have to do anything except show up, just like her daughter does, we get a more real experience where they connect on a deeper level.”

While the mother-daughter events are where the magic happens, Mountcastle says, she also wants GOG to be a meaningful and fact-based repository of information, both online and in real life.

A key element of GOG is its series of monthly speaker events. Local experts lead discussions on everything from body positivity and sleep hygiene to navigating friendships and academic anxiety for groups of moms, typically during the day. But Mountcastle  hopes for something more than information transfer. She wants her events to bring people together.

“Female connection is everything,” she says. “We as moms thrive when we feel seen and supported by our peers.” A mom’s ability to instill principles in a child is only as good as her belief in, and ability to model, those principles herself. “Our ability to parent with wholeheartedness will be realized all the more when we feel personally loved, real connection, and a genuine sense of belonging,” she says. “It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of books, articles, podcasts, documentaries, blogs and social influencers all claiming to have the answers. My goal is for GOG to become a trusted resource for moms.”

A Shared Movement

Both Growing Our Girls and Girlhood Charlotte seem to be part of a broader movement. “We’re reading more about women’s health, and so I think that also lends to this desire and willingness to talk about it more,” Nguyen says.

“I think that we are more open about talking about menopause now, which may be the gateway for the younger generation to talk more as well,” Queen adds.

Nguyen, Queen, and Mountcastle have become friends since starting their businesses, and they enjoy sharing ideas and supporting each other’s platforms. While both businesses have a digital presence and social media channels, they’re striving to be much more than just online resources.

“We’re bringing it back to the roots of what the mom and daughter bond should be,” Nguyen says. “We’re trying to create opportunities for more substantive connections. Conversations, actual interactions with each other, phones away, we’re present and learning and experiencing things together.”

NIKKI CAMPO is a writer in Charlotte. She’s written for The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, and McSweeney’s.

Interested in hosting a party for your daughter and her friends, or just want a little more information about Girlhood Charlotte or GOG? Check out their websites or find them on social media (GC Instagram, GOG Instagram).