Includes bibliographical references (pages [179]-184) and index.

What Is Teen Dating Abuse? -- Verbal and Emotional Abuse: The First Level of Violence -- Sexual Abuse: The Second Level of Violence -- Physical Abuse: The Third Level of Violence -- Warning Signs: Recognizing Abusive Teenage Relationships -- What's He Thinking? How to Spot a Potential Abuser -- Why Girls Choose Abusive Relationships -- Infatuation, Addictive Love, and Mature Love -- The Role of Alcohol and Drugs -- How to Prevent Abuse in the First Place: Family Dynamics -- Girls Who Abuse Boys -- Why Teens Don't Tell: How to Talk to Your Daughter About Abuse -- Medical, Legal, and Psychological Interventions: Confronting Abuse -- Who Will Our Daughters Become? What We Want for Girls in an Ideal World.

Is your daughter in danger? One in three girls will be in a controlling, abusive dating relationship before she graduates from high school -- from verbal or emotional abuse to sexual abuse or physical battering. Many young women -- and their parents -- aren't even aware of the indications of a potentially abusive relationship. What's most alarming is that these warning signs are also some of the behaviors that girls find most flattering: a boy pages and calls a girl often -- but as a form of control, not affection. He wants to spend all his time with her, but eventually he won't allow her to spend time with her friends. He says "I love you" very early in the relationship. These behaviors can escalate into blame, isolation, manipulation, threats, humiliation, and sexual and physical abuse. In But I Love Him, Dr. Jill Murray identifies these and many other behaviors and helps you get your daughter out of the relationship without alienating her. You will learn what draws her to this type of relationship, the special barriers teens face when breaking off such a relationship, and what's going on in the mind of the teen abuser. Dr. Murray helps you show your teen what a respectful relationship looks like -- and teach her the importance of respecting herself.