Teaching body image to kids

Katie from Loves of Life wrote a post that inspired my post for today. 

Her post wasn't so much on body image but on being in a moment with her daughter 

and not saying something that could start something in her daughter seeing her not love her body completely 

and she did not want that. 

But it put a spark into my brain about writing a post on body image and how I am going to try to deal with it when it comes to my kids. 

So thank you Katie for this post here.

First of all I want to tell all of you that you are beautiful!

Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. 

Our society has such a distorted view on what is beautiful

and we as mother's need to try to change that. 

Since I am a mother of both a son + a daughter...

I have to come at it from both perspectives::

How males view women 

and how women view women.

For Zane {+ any future son(s)}::

I am going to try to make it extremely clear that no matter what size a woman is 

they are still beautiful.

I want him to understand that even if you are larger 

you're still beautiful.

I am not a small girl and I have my problem areas which make me completely uncomfortable 

because of what our society has made me think is beautiful.

I get asked on a regular basis when I am due.

{which by the way if you are not 100% positive that someone is pregnant do not ask them when they are due. It is embarrassing for both parties and makes me feel like crap! 

Oh and it also completely pisses off my husband when someone asks me this 

because of how rude it is.}

Really I don't look pregnant at all...

I gain all my weight in my stomach 

and yes it's bigger than the rest of me but it definitely doesn't look like I'm pregnant.

I have cried many times when I've gotten home after a comment like that.

{Please people be considerate of others!}

Ok sorry so back to how to deal with it with Zane.

I don't want him to look at women and judge them by their size 

{or in any other way}

I want him to look at women and think wow she's beautiful 

or I would really like to get to know her because she looks interesting.

I know there have probably been people I have passed by in my life becoming friends with because of
the way that they looked...
and I D O  N O T want that for either of my children.
I want them to be friends with people because they are good people + are caring
+ loving + kind hearted.

For Lilah {+ any future daughter(s)}::
I want her to love herself no matter what she looks like.
I think she is the most beautiful girl in the world and so does her daddy...
I want her to look at herself + see beauty.
I want her too look at other women + see beauty in every.single.one of them.
I want her to look at her mama + think wow she's beautiful...
she's not perfect but she is beautiful.
I want her to know that no matter what anyone else says about her she is perfect in my eyes.
I will do E V E R Y T H I N G in my power to show her that.
I don't want her to look at someone + envy them for the way that they look.
I want her to love the way she looks.
I can't express enough that she is the most gorgeous little lady in the entire world
+ no one will ever be more beautiful than her.
Because in my eyes she is.
Plain + simple.

It's so important that we as parents try to teach our children how N O T to judge!
I want them to love people for who they are
+ not the way that they look.
So now it's time for me to love myself
+ stop hating the way I look.
I need my children to see me love myself so that they can love themselves.

** All photos courtesy of Lauren from Lulabell Photography **