Body Image - What are we handing down to our daughters?

As a Mom I try really hard to set a good example for my girls. 

I want my girls to learn to be more accepting of the bodies that the Lord has given them in spite of the world. 

I know I am not the only one who has realized just how important this is. 

I remember seeing a commercial as a child for clothing on a woman who was referred to as a "full figured woman."  I thought she was beautiful. 

I said to myself then and there, I want to be a full figured woman. 

I did not yet realize the woman around me were not pretty, according to the world.

I thought they were pretty.  They were pretty.  But, the world had beaten them down.



Me at 17

I worked really hard as a young woman to fit the mold.

I poked at my thin body and critiqued my organ filled tummy as I starved myself attempting to be "enough."  But, the question is, enough for whom?

Being hungry was not making me happy or anyone else for that matter.

How can you be happy when you are purposely not meeting your bodies needs in order to reach some unattainable goal.

Me in my mid 20s

Now I'm a bit older. 

I have girls two girl who are young adults, and another one who is right behind them.

I have watched what the world has done to my girls.

It is cruel!  And these are my babies we are talking about.

You know what happens to a Mom when someone takes on her precious baby.

My sweet son, right after he opened his mission call.

I have tried to hard to correct my unkind thinking about my body as I teach them to be kinder to themselves.  I have gone from hiding from the camera to working to embrace it.

I don't want my children to grow up and realize I am not in any of the pictures. 

My family, minus our first missionary.

Time for Change

It is time for mothers every where to stop the unkindness to themselves. 

This is a longer process for some than it is for others.

It is time for use to set a kinder example for our children.

It is okay to be healthy.  Eating right and getting some exercise is a good thing.

But, we need to stop trying to stuff our bodies into a mold made by society.

It is time for us to work toward being healthy because we love ourselves and not because we loath the gift that we were given, physical bodies. 

It is time for a change.

Let's break the silence and talk about this.

6/12/13