Although my daughter is two years old, there are still moments in which I am overwhelmed by the reality that I actually have a daughter.
Watching her walk around topless, covered in Elmo band aids and wearing a pink tutu this afternoon was one of those moments.
I watch her prance around in her tutu, shoeless, shirtless, messy hair and I wonder what it must feel like to be so carefree, so innocent, so completely free to be who she is.
And I start to cry. Because I know that life isn't always going to be like this for her. She'll go through hard times, people will hurt her. She'll experience pain. I know that one day, she'll become aware of her body and how it compares to the bodies of other girls. Maybe she'll hate it, just like I did, like I still do. I hope that she doesn't, I hope that I can teach her from my mistakes, that I can be honest with her about my experience and that from me, she'll learn that it's a waste of time, energy and of your life to hate your body. I will teach her to love herself, to be proud of herself, to take care of her body and always be kind to it. To never waste a second hating it, for it is the vehicle in which she can do and accomplish whatever it is that she so desires in her life. The one and only life that she'll ever have.
As I watched my precious daughter twirling around in her pink tutu,
I wished someone had taught me those things when I was growing up. I wished that someone had sat me down when I was starving myself and told me that I didn't need to do that because I was beautiful the way that I was. I wish my mother would have told me that I mattered too much to the world to inflict abuse upon myself.
In that moment I realized that the words that I needed to hear my entire life had just been spoken to me through my beautiful daughter.
And in that moment, I realized, although I am her mother and it is my job to teach her about life, she is my teacher as well.
"Love yourself mom, because a little bit of you lives in me."
And I used to say that I didn't want a girl. God, I had no idea what I was missing without her in my life.
Awwww, I love Tutu's. That's a great shot. She looks adorable.
I remember when my kids were that age and they lovedddddd bandaids.....
Time sure flies, if you're like me soon you will move beyond being amazed that you have a girl and will be amazed that she's in High School! I feel that way about my oldest, wasn't he just two and running around in Barney Underwear?