There are days when I'm so happy I don't have a girl.
As much as I'd love a daughter, I give a sigh of relief that we won't have to parent a girl.
Don't get me wrong. We'd love a daughter and would do our best to parent her.
But I really love that we have a boy.
Don't get me wrong. We'd love a daughter and would do our best to parent her.
But I really love that we have a boy.
It is no surprise that I struggled with having a positive body image.
Or should I say, I still struggle. Every day.
And depending on the day, the body image issues can make or break my day.
I am glad I don't have a girl who would see this cycle and may end up following that path.
I wouldn't know how to begin to break the cycle to create confidence in self in my daughter.
It's bad enough that I think I'm going to screw it up with a son.
I don't blame my parents or anyone in my life for my thoughts.
They are mine. I own them. I create them and I have the power to break them.
It's perception.
It's false beliefs.
It is something I struggle with every day.
It's my reality.
Today I sat with students and we talked about this issue.
How much is media based?
How much is peer based?
How much is created by ourselves based on perseptions?
Why do we give negative body images power over our thoughts?
Why do we hate ourselves for body image issues when we have many wonderful qualities too?
Why do we hate ourselves for body image issues when we have many wonderful qualities too?
And how do we break the cycle so we don't carry it to our children?
We don't have the answers.
However, we have committed to meeting once a week and talk it out.
Nothing formal. No fancy club name or motivational speakers.
Just a bunch of girls talking about being a girl.
Good for you. It's definitely a subject that affects all of us girls. And having a daughter, I am aware of it and want her to grow up confident and comfortable with herself.
ReplyDeletewhen you go back and read this I want you to go to the post just before this and read it again. Read over how hard you are working. And even though we hate certain parts of ourselves I want you to love the fact that you are doing something about it. Love that you are running. That you are trying. That you are who you are. You wouldn't be you without your anxieties, they are who you are. They don't define us. When your students look at you I am confident that they don't think "oh, there's Mrs. M, all she talks about is her weight and how much she hates it". They probably say, "hey Mrs. M! how are you today?" and they mean it. They want to know how your emotions and thoughts are for the day. I guarantee you they arent' asking, "hey Mrs M! what was your weight on the scale this morning?" (If so, deck 'em) You are amazing no matter what your scale or your jean size. I know that me saying it doesn't change how you feel about it. But maybe, just maybe if I keep reminding you how beautiful you are, and not JUST on the inside, you might begin to believe. So I will continue to tell you that I love you and that I think you are beautiful just the way you are!
ReplyDeletexoxo
mm2