FAQ

  • If you have a question or concern that you can’t find addressed on our website, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Send an email to info@mycourageousgirls.com

  • Yes! Download this CG Curriculum Overview document to see the topics for each lesson in the CG curriculum, year 1 through year 9.

  • Yes—on the Sample Curriculum page.

  • Great question. One of the key principles of Courageous Girls is to help you, as a mom, grow in your giftings and confidence, as well as learn to discern what God is doing in your life and the life of your daughter. We have chosen not to be an organization that plugs moms and daughters into CG groups because we want you to go deeper into community with the moms and daughters who God has already laid on your heart and live in your community. 

    Additional reasons we do not plug moms and daughters into groups are that groups have a significantly better chance of staying together for the long-haul if they already have a common thread (school or church community, hobby, neighborhood, etc.) that naturally brings them together. And, the administrative cost of doing so is not sustainable for the growth and well-being of CG. 

    We are compassionate to the possible feelings of frustration or fear that may have come with our answer, but we do offer some suggestions. First, check out ideas on how to start your group. To start the process of building your CG community, consider asking a few moms to join you in a book study of Courageous: Being Daughters Rooted in Grace to get a feel for commitment and interest level as you prayerfully consider starting a CG group. And, consider taking the “Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters” e-course and ask God to provide wisdom into who you could start a CG group with.  

    Watch and see how God grows your faith through this process. You’ll have to trust our “why” behind this answer. We have given you everything you need to start a group in your own community, unique to your culture and the needs of you and your daughter. We are praying for you!

    Learn how to start your group.

  • Though the ideal time to start CG is when our daughters are in elementary school or early tweens, as the curriculum is a slow build over the years, starting a group in the teen years is always welcomed and encouraged.

    Full disclosure though, it takes about three years for a group to feel fully connected, so know that it can be harder at this age. Most groups meeting for years hit the teen years and feel the awkward shift that occurs as girls pull away from their moms and the peak of over-comparing.

    Alternatively, you may benefit from the one-to-one “Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters” courses Terra Mattson designed with the help of Christian Parenting. Using the CG curriculum as the base of monthly dates, these courses give you a similar pathway to talking about important issues in your daughter’s life. You can start with a course that fits your daughter's age.

    If you are a motivated mama, God will use you to resource other moms and teen daughters with a Courageous Girls group in your community. And, down the road, your daughter will thank you (when she’s off in the world or becomes a mom herself!)

  • This is the most common question we get!

    We know that many of you who are raising girls also have boys, or have friends who are watching you grow in your Courageous Girls groups and wanting the same thing for their boys. Here are a few things to consider:

    1. Courageous Girls was birthed out of co-founder, Terra Mattson’s, years as a professional counselor and her experience raising her own two daughters. Her desire was to give her daughters what she knew her clients needed at each age and stage of development. She never imagined that years later this would be a global movement. At this point, there is not anything like Courageous Girls curriculum and Raising Confident Daughters courses, that give moms biblical, clinical, and trauma-prevention wisdom for every stage of her child’s growing years. That does not mean there won’t be, at some point, something similar for boys. The Mattsons have worked extensively with adult male leaders and married couples and have witnessed the damage caused by maladaptive coping strategies (like sexual and other addictions, workaholism, shame, and more). They definitely have a desire to develop a curriculum that will help parents raise courageous boys but God has to lead here.

    2. Something to consider as a mom is that many men who grow up with sexual addictions and/or passivity in life have a mom who is overly enmeshed in her son’s life. There is a very fine line between moms leading and guiding their sons, and moms running interference in their son’s emotional, spiritual, and psychological development. If there is curriculum and groups developed at some point, they will be designed with dad and son in mind and mom being the support.

    3. If you have a son, we recommend you lean into great resources like Boy Mom, by Monica Swanson (with a podcast, book, and online courses). They are not clinically informed, but very much biblically based and we just love Monica as a fellow Christian Parenting partner. You can also check out christianparenting.org for more resources for raising sons, as well as Top Gun, by Ted Roberts, on talking with your son about sexual purity.

    4. Finally, many CG moms are learning principles they are able to extend to their sons in more organic ways. The curriculum and group was designed to impact the entire family over the years. We know of CG dads who have taken the CG curriculum and revamped it to create “Brave Boys” groups. To all those innovative dads out there, we give you kudos! The CG activities need to be customized to boys, but the overall topics and questions can help create intentional conversations. Boys still need to process the digital age, their identities, what it means to be a man, sexuality, the changes in their bodies, emotions, friendships and more. CG is laid out with girls in mind, BUT there are many overlapping themes.

    5. Bottom line - pray! We are sure something more will be created in the years to come.

  • Though Terra Mattson, co-founder and author of Courageous Girls curriculum, believes deeply in these CG groups and in the power of community, she partnered with Christian Parenting to develop a one-to-one resource for moms like you, A Christian Parenting Guide: Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters.

    If and when you are ready to start a group, these one-to-one mom and daughter courses coincide with the CG curriculum and it will be a natural transition for you. We are all in different stages and seasons of life, and there is great freedom to go where you are led and do what works for you and your daughter. You can learn more at cpguides.org.

  • Though these groups are for moms and daughters (because moms tend to be more integrated in their daughters' lives and are models of what it means to be a woman to their daughters), dads play a very important role.

    Over the years, the Mattsons have partnered with their trusted friend, Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield, around the Abba Project and other resources for dads of daughters.

    At CG, we encourage dads and daughters to join together over an annual campout or special experience.

  • First, there is no “traditional mom” for CG groups. All moms hear the voice that says they do not belong at some point; that voice is not one of grace. The beauty of CG groups is the wide variety of moms, which allows our girls to see God’s diverse design! With that said, there are unique challenges that moms face like fostering, adoption, special needs, divorce or being a single mom, etc. We recognize that and want you to know that all the CG curriculum can be customized to fit the needs of YOUR group and YOUR daughter. That is the beauty of a group rooted in grace and not founded on legalism (a set of rules that determine our worth).

    Here are some links to resources you might find helpful. You can also contact us to speak with a CG coach.

    • Moms - COMING SOON

    • Mom/daughters - COMING SOON

    • Single moms - COMING SOON

    • Adoptive/foster moms - COMING SOON

    • Special needs moms/daughters - COMING SOON

    • Girls on their own - COMING SOON

  • Read about the heart behind Courageous Girls, why it’s FREE, and how you can help support this important work for moms and daughters.

  • Sadly, we are wounded in relationships. And yet we are also healed in relationships.

    Courageous Girls groups are designed to help us cultivate grace and not shame-based systems. You are not alone here. This blog post might give you insight and encouragement.

  • Mental health is something we care deeply about it—here are Terra’s recommendations.

  • As moms, we want to “normalize” conversations about our daughters’ concerns with sexuality—here’s how you can do that.

  • Try reading Courageous: Being Daughters Rooted in Grace, and continue to explore what keeps you nervous about leading your daughter here.

    It’s a normal thing to be cautious with our girls and yet, if we don’t help them navigate all the confusing messages here, then someone else will.

    So much of what we are doing in Courageous Girls is helping our daughters understand their rooted identity in what God says about them, releasing the pressure to figure it all out on our own. We are also affirming their design as good and having a beautiful purpose. This gives foundation to all the other leading questions the culture brings up in every generation.

    Your nerves might start to calm down as you journey in your group. Having other moms join you in this process helps every mom face these harder conversations with courage.

  • Finding a safe community where you can find resources, a caring Christ-centered faith, and a place to move through this part of both of your stories is key. If you think a CG group would be helpful, there is no reason you cannot start one. (See starting a group in the teen years).

    Consider finding a healthy Christian professional counselor to work with you and your daughter.

    You might also be well served with resources found on Preston Sprinkle’s Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. You’ll find books, conferences, online courses, and groups for families who love Jesus and are moving through this season.

    Please know that if you are already in a CG group, continue in that community as you work through this season. Having a trusted group of friends who allow space for each person’s story is at the heart of CG - We are about God’s GRACE! However, starting a group in the teen years can be harder. See this blog post for more.

  • We wrote a blog post that you might find helpful for you or your daughter. Read more here.

  • We’re thankful that you’re looking out for the moms and daughters in your group. For additional reading that you might find helpful, check out this post.

  • Thank you for your heart and passion.

    We definitely love partnering with people like you. You can head here to learn more about ways you can support Courageous Girls.

  • To access the CG Curriculum you must first register as a CG participant (register here). If you have already registered, then you are ready to visit our CG Curriculum page (you will need to log in or set up an account if it is your first time). In the Living Wholehearted Store, click the “Go to the CG Curriculum” button at the bottom of the page to get started.

    Note: Please register as a CG participant and explore all the rich resources on this website before downloading CG Curriculum.