Your Littles See & Hear Everything - Body Image

So, I have another mom fail to share with you.

I live my life knowing my littles pick up on everything. I am also a mama who has always struggled with body image issues. After having children, my view of body image has become an even more intense struggle. After my first, I knew I wanted to get pregnant again, as soon as possible, so I held myself to a super strict eating and exercise routine. I was proud of my body. But, after my second, strictness has flown the coop. I mostly eat what I want and what my husband cooks me. On top of that, after carrying two kids and breastfeeding both for months on end, things just are not the same. Skin sags a bit, boobs are closer to the belly button than the collarbone, and the list goes on. Overall, I thought I was keeping my body image issues to myself.

This week, I was talking to my husband about the sag, rolls and extra jiggles, pinching my stomach and thighs to demonstrate my point.  A few minutes later, I watched my 2 year old daughter pinch her perfectly chubby tummy. My heart broke and sunk into my stomach as I watched her.  I love her chub and feel like every jiggle she gains is a success. This moment has changed my life forever. I would rather teach my daughter to eat healthily, exercise and love her body, than to have the same issues and battles that I have. Now starts the hard work of ending the body image issues that have been passed down in my family for multiple generations. I realized my negative self-perception doesn’t just hurt me, it also hurts my children.

Self-acceptance is one of the values I want to help internalize in my children. Together, let’s teach our kids to love their bodies by first embracing ourselves.