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All Things Girl Mary Lenaburg

Tween girls face serious challenges these days; they struggle to maintain self-esteem and a positive body image while dealing with social awkwardness, modesty issues, and a pop culture that promotes sex and shallow glitz. My four eldest nieces range in age from 10-13 years. In my search for resources to support them, I came across the All Things Girl series.

Co-authors Teresa Tomeo, Molly Miller and Monica Cops use the late John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) to help tweens develop proper virtues amidst all the chaos and confusion that today’s modern society throws their way. Concentrating on fashion, beauty and friendship the books gently walk the reader through the uniqueness of God’s plan for each of us. There are encouraging tips, fun exercises and uplifting stories celebrating the joy of womanhood. I recently contacted the authors and editor to find out how the series had come to be.

The original idea came from author Molly Miller. “My daughter, Lucia was the tender age of eleven when the All Things Girl idea came to me. I wanted to give her some books that would address her age and the things girls experience at the beginning of puberty. Many of the secular books available did a nice job on some subjects but then went astray with feminist and immoral ideas on others. The Christian books missed so much that makes our Catholic faith special, such as the Blessed Mother, the communion of saints and the sacraments.”

During this time, Ms. Miller was working with friend and co-author Monica Cops, teaching workshops on dignity, fashion and beauty. “When Molly approached me with the idea of writing a series of books, I thought this would be a great way to bring our message to many, many girls--not only the ones that attended the workshops in our area. She had been looking around for a book that addressed the topics of beauty, friendship, manners, and fashion from a solid Catholic perspective, but had not found it. So, we decided to do it ourselves!”

Miller and Cops approached Catholic media personality Teresa Tomeo, seeking her help with the project. “They asked me to speak at one of their “Runway to Reality” events two years ago and that's where they first shared the book project with me. They knew a media component would be a must in the series and asked if I would be willing to contribute. I immediately saw the brilliance in the All Things Girl concept and jumped on board. The Holy Spirit has been with us big time since the beginning. This was evident when Molly and Monica told me that they had already chosen Cheryl Dickow as the publisher/editor. At the time I was already working with Cheryl on my testimony book "Newsflash." That was a sign to me that we were all meant to be together on this project. I love working with these women because we share the same vision. It is not about us. It is about Jesus and the truths of the Catholic Church,” said Teresa Tomeo

Editor Cheryl Dickow has worked closely with the authors to produce seven books, two journals, and a Leader's Guide in less than a year. “When I was approached by Molly and Monica to publish the series, I was immediately drawn to the ways in which this sort of series would help young Catholic girls grow in their Faith and embrace their dignity as daughters of the King. I had taught in parochial middle school for many years prior to becoming a publisher and have seen, first hand, how young Catholic girls, no matter their environment, struggled with understanding their inherent worth and not succumbing to media messages and radical feminist ideas. It was both sad and alarming. So, when Molly and Monica contacted me I felt that God was giving me an opportunity to make a difference on a broader range than the classroom.”

The books are written for young women from ages 9-14. They have since added the title All Things Girl: Truth for Teens for girls from 13 through 18. Ms. Tomeo says this is a huge target area for advertisers and the media in general. “It's one of the top demographics groups they [the media] try to reach because they want to get them hooked on particular products or labels when the girls are young so they can have life long consumers. Then there is the issue of the sexual agenda of getting younger and younger children thinking a certain way that could lead them to a life of promiscuity and pain. The pain is always disguised as happiness, and so from a young age our kids are taught to think that doing what they want when they want is the answer.”

Ms. Miller adds “This is such a vulnerable age, especially for girls. They are impressionable, and open to the Catholic message. We believe this is the perfect age to reinforce the fact that you are a Daughter of the King. We wanted to instill in them just how loved and unique they are as individuals, so that when they enter the teens they have a solid idea of who they are in Christ.”

All four women agree on the books’ central theme. Ms. Miller says, “Without a doubt, it is that you are a Daughter of the King. Your Daddy's the King of the universe and you are royalty, a princess. You matter! Knowing and believing this, you act in a manner fitting royalty. You treat yourself and others with respect and dignity. You know your worth and the worth of others.”

Ms Tomeo adds, “It is so important that young girls see themselves through the eyes of Christ and not the eyes of the world. As Cheryl Dickow said, "we want to help the little Cheryls of the world to avoid the pitfalls and emptiness of the culture." I have lived without God and it almost cost me my marriage and more importantly my soul. I struggled with an eating disorder in grade school. I bought into the radical feminist movement in college and those decisions to live in the world cost me dearly. Thanks be to God, He was able to turn all those pains around, as I am now using my experience to help others. When Jesus and His Church are right there with the answers there is no reason to look elsewhere. It reminds me of what Dorothy says at the end of the Wizard of Oz: "Next time I go looking for my heart's desire, I won't go any further than my own backyard." Everything is there for us in the Church; we just need to point as many people as possible in the right direction.”

Ms. Cops states, “The whole series is based on two premises: 1) Through Baptism, you are a Daughter of the King, you are a Princess! Therefore you need to act, dress and talk as such. 2) You are here for a reason: The purpose of your life is to know, love and serve God. In the books, we talk about concrete ways to grow in the different virtues, an examination of conscience pertaining to the topic of each book, a plan for their prayer life that includes the morning offering, daily mental prayer and holy rosary, a chapter on media and saints’ stories. Sprinkled throughout the books are quizzes, recipes and crafts.”

With such an important message it is no surprise that the books are being turned into a 13 part series for EWTN. “Teresa and I were invited to EWTN to talk about the books on Bookmark. Doug Keck liked the series and asked Teresa if we would be interested in doing a 13 part series featuring the All Things Girl books. The series will feature each of the All Things Girl books and the Leader's Guide. It will show how parents can use these materials in a group setting. Cheryl and I have made it a priority to let the Holy Spirit lead us in this project and walk through the doors that He opens.”

Ms Tomeo was also excited at the opportunity to spread this positive message even further. “We are so grateful to EWTN and Doug Keck. We will be taping in early November and will keep you posted on the airdate. The format is a 13 part series with each being a 30-minute segment. The authors will be walking through the various sections of the books on camera to give families an idea of how they can apply the activities as well as the virtues outlined in the books to their daily lives. We will also have some All Things Girl readers on the set with us including Molly's daughter. As a person who has been in TV and radio for nearly 30 years I can attest to the power of a visual message. I think this will help greatly in getting our messages across to an even wider audience.”

The All Things Girl series is a tremendous resource for Catholic Christian families looking to counter the over sexualized messages of today’s culture. We are daughters of a King and these books celebrate the uniqueness of our journey as woman with positive encouragement and engaging activities. I highly recommend this series.

* Cheryl Dickow, the publisher has kindly agreed to give away a few titles from the series to our Phases readers. You must leave a comment to win. We will have a random drawing on Tuesday, October 27th. Tell a friend and leave a comment. We look forward to hearing from you!

UPDATE: We have some winners! Cynthia Villarreal-Rogers, Angela and Tala Burnison will be sent a free copy of one of the All Things Girl titles. Thank you all for your comments and support for this series!

Mary Lenaburg is a faithful Catholic, a loving wife to Jerry and a proud mother of Courtney and Jonathan. Passionate about faith, family, food, fashion and fiction, she strives to live more like Mary, our Blessed Mother and less like Martha, hoping one day to succeed! She can be found blogging at Passionate Perseverance.

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