nexttuesday

Instead of down playing compliments and picking out our physical faults in the mirror, we should learn to say thank you and say something nice about our looks out loud on a daily basis. How terrible is it that our children grow up learning we should not say "Thank You" when someone says we're pretty? How terrible is it that they hear us say "I'm so fat" "I hate my hair" "I wish I could look like her"?

The cycle continues until someone stops it. I am making an effort to stop it. Every morning Olivia plays in the bathroom while I shower. I get out and lotion up now and tell her about how I love how soft it makes my skin. Bonus: she likes to rub the lotion on my feet and calves LOL! Then I get fully dressed, brush my hair, and do something "pretty" like put on a piece of jewelry or a lil bit of make up or a spritz of body spray from OhYum!. When I'm all fancied up I look in the mirror and say "I feel beautiful today" and I'll tell Olivia how beautiful she looks too.

It may all sound silly, but I'm actually starting to feel pretty. It's been a long, LONG time since I've felt anything other than fat, frumpy, and often flat out ugly. Who would've guessed something so simple could start to change things. On top of that, I feel damn good that I'm teaching my daughter to love herself instead of search for her flaws.