Raising the Future Generation

Right here, right now I am making a vow for my child (and if God blesses us with another/others). I want my girl(s) to know how to appreciate herself and the beauty she has been given. I want her to have positive body image influences and I want her to have a healthy view of herself and the way she treats her body. I want to give her the tools to eat healthy foods and I want her to never beat herself up the way I have beat myself up in the past.

My vow is to never put my body down in front of her. And by doing this, maybe just maybe I'll make a habit of not doing it at all.

I want to be an inspiration to my daughter. I want her to find that I have inspired her to love herself and to take care of herself.

If I can do this for her, why shouldn't I be able to do it for myself? Does this mean that I just let myself go and not care about it? Absolutely not! But, I believe I can make healthy changes now (as I transition from my post-pregnant self) and know that I am doing good things for myself. I can choose healthy food options and moderate my not as healthy ones. I can work out (when I can) and know that my baby is my priority. That by putting her first right now, that I am doing the right thing. I will still have some time for myself. It just may take extra planning and it may not be every day.

And I won't beat myself up for this. I commit to doing what I can. And if I can be an encouragement to other Mommies who want these same things for their children, I want to commit to them as well.

There are a few people who have platforms to preach these things more loudly than I can. I read Reshaping it All by Candace Cameron Bure probably a year and a half ago and I should probably re-read it for a refresher. Bobbie Thomas, the style editor for the TODAY Show is putting out a book about self-esteem and fashion. And then there's Dove's campaign for real beauty. Why don't we all wholeheartedly buy into this kind of advertising and media rather than the ones found more popular by main stream media?

My poor girl will probably hate me for not letting her wear what all her teenage friends will be wearing, but I vow to protect her from her our society's objectifying of young girls and women and I will fight for that cause until the end. May I be an encouragement for real beauty!