My oldest daughter is about to turn 3. And she watches EVERYTHING. I honestly didn’t realize just how much she and her little sister were watching, taking in, and understanding until just recently when I saw my littlest mimicking me. She’s not even 18 months and she was mimicking me. And, as I tucked my messy hair behind my ear again, I realized that, being unhappy with myself–my body–was something they’d already be picking-up on…I decided then that I Will Not Allow My Body Confidence Issues Hurt My Daughters. Sadly, I don’t know for sure how to do this, but this is what I’m going to try.
I Will Not Allow My Body Confidence Issues Hurt My Daughters
I’m not a particularly pretty. Nor am I a small woman. And, I think I’ve always kind of known this about myself. I can remember all the way back into second or third grade sucking in my tummy when I was at the local pool–as if a 8 year old needed to be sexy.
There’s no way in hell I want that for my two girls. So, I basically am committing to loving myself just the way I am. Providing them an example of how to accept what they are by accepting exactly who I am. And these are the commitments I’m making to myself so that they can see what really matters is not how you look to someone else, but how you feel about yourself.
My Personal Body Confidence Commitments
- I will wear whatever I want, when I want and ignore the comments. Even if that means buying myself a freakin’ tutu.
- I will dye my hair every color of the rainbow if I want.
- I will wear makeup if I want to–or go naked-faced to dinner with the Queen if I want.
- I will NOT dress for who I am seeing, but how I FEEL.
- I will wear all the colors of the rainbow–without a care to what is most “flattering” or someone else’s favorite…just my own.
- I will admit, daily, that I DESERVE a clean pair of pants that fit well and don’t make me feel nauseous because of how tight they are or make me feel frumpy because of how loose they are.
- I will wear, daily, any damn shirt I please–and forget that I was once told I was too busty to wear t-shirts.
Basically, I want my daughters to know that I have a beautiful body and I am proud of it. That it has produced two miracles and is capable of exposing all of me, in all my crazy, fun, awesome glory. I am a sexy beast and I want to show the world–so that my daughters will not fear doing the same and will make their own decisions without being colored by other’s opinions. Because, frankly, they deserve nothing less.
I’m taking a HUGE step for myself in doing these things. So much so that I am changing my entire wardrobe. Literally, I have felt more than frumpy (downright grungy and gross) for almost 3 years now, since my first daughter was born. I will not anymore. I will buy the buttery-softest leggings from Lularoe. I will wear the most flattering, long shirts, and strut my stuff in fun boots, get myself a dye-kit for my hair every week if I want, and wear EVERY fun t-shirt I can find that has anything remotely to do with Star Wars.
Friends, I challenge you to take your body confidence in hand, too. I Will Not Allow My Body Confidence Issues Hurt My Daughters. Will you?
And pin this. Pin it for our daughters. Pin it for you. Because we all need this.
