Can You Handle the ‘Truth’? | The Jewish Exponent

27aExperts confirm what the majority of people know: Truth comes in a number of forms and reveals itself in myriad ways, and that it’s often relative, depending on the needs and expectations of the seeker.

Now, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, based in Long Branch, N.J., and a nationally known positive psychologist — an officially recognized branch of psychology that centers on what’s right with people — examines what truth is as young girls see it, in her new book, titled The Truth: I’m a Girl, I’m Smart and I Know Everything, the first in what is expected to be a series.

The book, which contains a “bit of mystery” because girls love that, noted Holstein, is the fictitious account of a young girl who keeps a secret diary in which she writes about the thoughts, ideas, people and events that shape and forge the truth for her.

In the process, it establishes a forum for discussion with parents and peers.

Through the eyes and feelings of the girl, Holstein comments professionally about truth’s particular impact on females aged 8, 9 and 10 years old — and beyond. It also focuses on its meaning in connection with interaction with the adults in their lives — mothers, grandmothers, fathers, teachers and others.

In the introduction to the book, Holstein, reflecting on her own days as a young girl, wrote: “One day I decided to find a way to combine what I already knew as a girl with the knowledge I have as a classroom teacher, case-study researcher, school psychologist, and a psychologist in private practice, in Long Branch, for nearly 30 years. I had to find a fun way to do this that would really help girls and mothers recognize that what we know growing up is just as important as what we learn later.”

“One day the ‘girl’ just appeared. She knew what to say and how to say it. She did a much better job of sharing the truth than I ever could have imagined. So I just let her go for it. I used a child’s voice because children understand things in a special way. In the end, the young girl will become a young woman and will keep the best of herself.”

There are 12 to 15 serious topics embedded in the book that offer young girls and their parents the opportunity to discuss the subjects. Girls throughout the world, explained Holstein, experience similar aspects of growing up, with crushes, family and sibling friction, and being bullied at school just a few of the categories that bewilder children and cause them to feel alone.

And Then There’s the Internet
When the influence of the Internet is thrown into the mix, unavoidable and continual situations for concern arise, leaving parents unsure of how to handle these challenging aspects of a young girl’s life, said Holstein.

Here’s an excerpt from The Truth: “What is wrong with human beings? I had to read The Diary of Anne Frank in Sunday school and again I felt so horrible. She died only a few years older than I am. And she loved life so much. How can it be? … ”

At the back of the book, readers will find 25 discussion questions for youngsters.

Why did Holstein write The Truth? “I wrote it because after having worked on women’s issues for years, I came to the conclusion that women at every stage of life need to find ways to build self-esteem and self-worth.

“Every girl wants a mother who listens and is aware of her behavior, especially during the tween years. Family is fun, and tweens want to feel special in their families. The Truth gives girls 8 to 14 years old the knowledge that they are not alone, while it reminds mothers what it was like to be this age,” explained Holstein.

Among her hopes for the book — which ranks second in parenting tweens book topics on Amazon.com — she said, is to see it in school libraries, adding that “my other dream would be to see it turned into a musical.”

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

The Truth, (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) has so many topics embedded into it for mothers and daughters and anyone who has walked the path of growing up as a girl that I hardly know which to pick.  Let’s look at purity of heart.
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Purity of heart is in my opinion as a woman, a positive psychologist and having been a girl, is a special vision that we often have in childhood.  It is not just seeing with our eyes.  It is a sixth sense combined with tender feelings and acute awareness of our surroundings.

For example, when Laura Engals describes to us the way she ran through the prairie grass and looked up into the sky to follow hawks and looked at the starts at night while her father played the fiddle, her words evoke a purity of heart sensation in even adults.  She was able as a writer to create the whole atmosphere of her life on the prairie so that we feel something new and fresh and yet eternal as we read The Little House on The Prairie.
In The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) I have tried to capture the same sense of purity of heart.  When the ‘girl’ is upset when her cousin swears it isn’t because she is making a moral judgment.  It is because the swear words just feel bad as they hit her across the room.  And when she dances with her mother up in the bedroom to rock and roll music, the relief of connecting with her mom and the pleasure of moving, laughing and hugging together is all there is.  This is the moment and it is pure.

Purity of heart is a clean feeling and when we have purity of heart moments we can feel cleansed and delighted at the same time.  Or if they are upsetting moments, as when the ‘girl’s’ cousin swore at least she knew he was not right and there was some relief just in the expression of her emotions.

As a positive psychologist I wanted to incorporate purity of heart into The Truth as we at all ages need to remember the intense pure feelings of childhood, both for ourselves and for the next generation.  We need to remember them for ourselves so we can go there once again and experience the sweetness and passion that goes with really being alive, not just sleepwalking as sometimes we do as grown-ups.  And for the next generation’s sake we need to remember because we need to connect with our children and grandchildren and we need to reassure them and help validate for them that their emotions are not only pure but often more in tune with what is right that we are.  Aging is not necessarily becoming emotionally more astute.  Aging can sometimes just be aging.
The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) has many themes and one of them is most certainly don’t sleepwalk.  Stay alive as you age and let the kids you know refresh you as well as the kid you was were.  After all, she is still inside of you!  I promise and that’s the truth!

Wow! So many of us went on Mystery Rides as Kids!

On July 5th, 2008 I’m the guest on The Puddle People Hour on BlogTalkRadio.  The two hosts are Beth Marino and Pam Sargant.  That show will be archived and available 24/7.  We pre-recorded the show tonight and of course talked quite a bit about my first book, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy and my newest book, The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything). 23aIt was fascinating for me to go between the two books-THE ENCHANTED SELF being a rather dense book, full of case studies, positive psychology techniques, historical perspectives on women, my own journey as a woman in our society, etc.  and The Truth which is a girl’s diary written in a simple, easy manner.   However, what struck me as the most fun as we chatted was our discussion about “Mystery Rides”.  The girl in The Truth goes on mystery rides with her family on Sunday afternoons and loves them.  I was sharing her adventures when both Mary and Pam joined in saying that they also, had gone on mystery rides as children.

One family had eight kids and they would all pile into the station wagon and drive out into the countryside.  So would the other, slightly smaller family.  And Dad was the driver in both cases and he didn’t know where he was going.  But it was so much fun, discovering small towns and local fairs and at the end stopping for icecream.  The girl in The Truth also stopped for icecream at the end of the family’s mystery rides.

Now I’m wondering.  Are mystery rides universal if you are over 45?  Let me know.  I went on them also, but sometimes I think they weren’t supposed to be a mystery.  I think sometimes my father might have gotten lost!  I don’t remember icecream at the end but I do remember often ending up at Savin Rock in New Haven, late in the afternoon on Sunday after riding around.  What a treat!  That was an amusement park along the beach.   Usually I got to ride the ‘flying horses’ as we called them, my mom and Aunt Lil caught to sit on a bench and people watch and we all got to eat in the car at Jimmy’s hot dog stand, where we bought delicious grilled hotdogs (not boiled, like at home) and wonderful fenchfries that were crinkled and served in paper cones.  Ah, such sweet memories of the old days!

Mother and Daughter talk on “Kids, Tweens and Teens, A Positive Psychologist looks at all three” about The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything

Robin and Rachel made my day on Monday.  They were my guests on my radio show, Kids Tweens and Teens on www.internetvoicesradio.com  We pre-recorded the show that will will air next Monday, June 9th at 4:30 PM EDT and then be 12aarchived 24/7.  What made the discussion so special was getting a chance to talk to both a mother and a daughter who had read The Truth, I”m a girl, I”m smart and I know everything.  Their reactions were such fun.  You will hear Robin discuss how the book made her remember her first crush which she hadn”t thought of in years, and then you will her Rachel chat about how she identified with the girl, even in secret things she does that nobody knows about. Rachel also will share her promises that she has made to herself for her future.  Both talk about how to utilize the book as a discussion tool for moms and kids.

As an author it isn”t always so easy.  You write the book at some deep level of concentration and meaning.  You agonize in ways that the public never knows-what word here?  What should stay in the final draft?  What needs to go?  Who will read it?  Will anyone read it?  And then finally it is out and still there is agony.  Who likes it?  Do kids like the book?  Do moms?  Does it have the punch that a great book does?

And then the universe sends a present by special delivery.  In this case the present was Robin and Rachel.   Their reactions confirmed what every author needs and hopes to hear.  The book works!  And best of all, it works for both kids and adults.  And that is unique.  I”m blessed.

“You just get to be a girl”

On TV this am ‘Samantha’, one of th stars in Sex and the City, was being interviewed.  She commented that the movie and the show was so wonderful because “You just get to be a girl!”  She then went on to say that we all 1awant that.  All women want the fun of beautiful clothes and best friends and everything turning out just right.

As a positive psychologist and author of The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything, I agree with her.  This is a tremendous yearning in women to belong, to have dear friends, to let the playful, girly side of themselves stay alive, even when we grow up.  In fact when a women stops caring for herself in terms of making a nice appearance, often it is a signal that the woman is depressed.  Women are able to laugh, cry and share intensely all sorts of feelings and of course even though we grow up we yearn for happy endings and beginnings in our lives.  And where does all of this begin?

In girlhood of course.  And that where my book dovetails Sex and the City.  The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything is a book where you see a girl putting down in writing her understanding of all the wonderful parts of herself so she can hold on to them.  She knows she is smart, can have fun, can solve problems, can fall in love, can have adventures, can be pretty, can star, can have best friends.  She knows all of this in her gut and she is aware that sometimes these capacities get lost as we grow up.

Samantha and her friends document that we can hold on to the best of ourselves.  And at worst if we loss some of our precious selves we can at least come and borrow the energy they exude and get recharged.  And if we can’t look as beautiful as they do, at least we can enjoy looking at them.

Stay posted for more of the Positive Psychologist’s insights on us ‘girls’.

reading mama blog reviews The Truth, (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

6aI am always so happy when kids review my book.  Read what this 11 year old had to say today on reading mama “I am very excited that my daughter read The Truth and wrote a review about it. She is 11 years old just the right age for this book. When she completed reading it she said it was cool and that she could relate to the girl. Here is her complete review:

‘I’ve read The Truth by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein. I really enjoyed it very much. I can really related to The Truth because it told about how girls really feel. I could feel how the girl was feeling as she was going through crushes, family, and her dreams. The Truth told what girls want and what it takes to achieve it. I truly recommend The Truth to girls my age and a bit older. I believe most girls would and could relate to and enjoy The Truth.’

Thanks for the review!

Simple But Profound-The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything. What do you think?

5.0 out of 5 stars THE TRUTH, Simple but Profound, April 7, 2008
By M. Pollard (New Jersey) – See all my reviews

THE TRUTH, is simple and yet profound. The diary of a girl’s most personal thoughts is a compelling perspective on intimate childhood feelings with an intelligent resolve to the challenges of growing up. This delightful manner of story-telling exudes youthful innocence, yet timeless wisdom. It is within the context of this constant flux, that we can find relevance to our own self-awareness as adults. Intended for nine to twelve year olds but appropriate for all generations; THE TRUTH allows us to renew those youthful ideals as we reflect on our “girls” heartfelt experiences. THE TRUTH offers an opportunity to connect to our daughters and granddaughters in an open and honest dialogue, and permission to have fun.

I thought you would enjoy seeing what another reader had to say about The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything).  I hope soon you will be sharing your thoughts and ideas.  And kids, tweens and teens, I really want to hear from you!  Free Truth necklace to any person under 21 who takes the time to read the book, and write a review.  Just be in touch with me at www.enchantedself.com or encself@aol.com 

Purity of Heart is Very Important

22aThe Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) has so many topics imbedded into it for mothers and daughters and anyone who has walked the path of growing up as a girl that I hardly know which to pick. But since I must pick-let me pick purity of heart.

Purity of heart is in my opinion as a woman, a positive psychologist and having been a girl, a special vision that we often have in childhood. It is not just seeing with our eyes. It is a sixth sense combined with tender feelings and acute awareness of our surroundings. For example, when Laura Ingalls describes to us the way she ran through the prairie grass and looked up into the sky to follow hawks and looked at the stars at night while her father played the fiddle, her words evoke a purity of heart sensation in even adults.

She was able as a writer to create the whole atmosphere of her life on the prairie so that we feel something new and fresh and yet eternal as we read The Little House on the Prairie. In The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) I have tried to capture the same sense of purity of heart.

When the ‘girl’ is upset when her cousin swears it isn’t because she is making a moral judgment. It is because the swear words just feel bad as they hit her across the room. And when she dances with her mother up in the bedroom to rock and roll music, the relief of connecting with her mom and the pleasure of moving, laughing and hugging together is all there is. This is the moment and it is pure.

Purity of heart is a clean feeling and when we have purity of heart moments we can feel cleansed and delighted at the same time. Or if they are upsetting moments, as when the ‘girl’s’ cousin swore at least she knew he was not right and there was some relief just in the expression of her emotions.

I wanted to incorporate purity of heart into The Truth as we at all ages need to remember the intense pure feelings of childhood, both for ourselves and for the next generation. We need to remember them for ourselves so we can go there once again and experience the sweetness and passion that goes with really being alive, not just sleepwalking as sometimes we do as grown-ups.

And for the next generation’s sake we need to remember because we need to connect with our children and grandchildren and we need to reassure them and help validate for them that their emotions are not only pure but often more in tune with what is right that we are. Aging is not necessarily becoming emotionally more astute. Aging can sometimes just be aging.

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) has many themes and one of them is most certainly don’t sleepwalk. Stay alive as you age and let the kids you know refresh you as well as the kid you were. After all, she is still inside of you! I promise and that’s the truth!

Children Are So Precious and See With a Purity We Have Lost

3aI saw a sign that summed up some of my feelings about children.  It said, “There are many earth angels in the form of children.”  How true.  In so many ways Our children are our witnesses to ourselves.  They help us see if we let them, what is right and what is wrong.  What is worth remembering and what is trivial.  They know what is a waste of time and what is worthwhile.  They know when we lie and when we try to get away with things.  Let’s celebrate our children and let them help return to the essence of what is best and most rejoicing about ourselves.  After all, we were all children also.

I wrote the above a couple of years ago but it is just as true today.  The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) is my book that as a teacher, school psychologist, positive psychologist, women, and once a kid, I have published since the above remarks.  Now I can say with pleasure, that the ‘girl’ in the book, even better than I was able to say it, gives us the above message.  I’m proud of her.  She has wisdom and depth even beyond mine.  I guess I’m a proud ‘parent’.

Crushes, We all have had them

20aAs most of my readers know, I’m a positive psychologist.  I’m fascinated with lots of the universal struggles that most of us seem to go through.  One that I find repeated again and again is the secret crush that tweens and teens often have.  Almost everyone has been there and it can be very exciting but also very painful.  Whenever I do a workshop women in the audience always have their stories to tell about early crushes and the fun, adventures and sometimes misadventures that happened. In my new book, The Truth, (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) the girl is very involved in her head and her heart with her crush.  It is much more major than her mother wants it to be and it takes over a lot of her inner life.  The girl can hardly concentrate on her school work when she thinks about Paul and she can’t imagine growing up and not marrying him.  One of the themes in this book is how the girl finally comes to terms with her crush, as she must.  Have you had an early crush? Can you share the story about your early crush? Are there other books out there that have a main character that is a tween or young teen with a crush?  What are they and did you enjoy the book? Let’s chat about this subject.