When Bridgette White discovered an unexpected photo of herself on her phone, her first reaction was to wonder “Who took this hideous picture of me?” In the picture, she is sprawled on the beach in a pose that many women would not consider flattering. But as she was about to delete the photo, her children encouraged her look at this picture -- and herself -- in a whole new way. It was her son, it turns out, who took the picture. “You looked so beautiful lying there,” he says. “I couldnt help it, Mom. Her daughter agrees: “That could be a postcard, Mom. Youre so beautiful. I love it.” White was surprised by their point of view, saying, “Like many women, I have struggled with my weight most of my life. Its not something that will ever go away for me. I dont have a naturally slim body. Never have.” But for a moment, “I look at the picture again and try to see what he sees.” She continues, “My default mode is to see and focus on my flaws and imperfections. Im starting to see a bit more. I still see my dimply, fat thighs. I also see a mom collapsed on the shore who just explored the lake for hours with her children. I still see chubby arms. I also see the arms of a mom who just helped her kids across the rocks and hot sand so their feet wouldnt hurt. I still see a fat woman wearing a black dress bathing suit to try to hide her weight issue. I also see an adventurous mom who loves her children something fierce.” White knows that this new point of view is not the be-all and end-all of health and happiness for her: “Im not giving up on exercising and getting healthy,” she says. “Those are things I will continue to strive for, because I want to be around awhile.” But, she writes, “Right now, though, I just want to love my body where it is. I want it to be OK to see myself the way my kids do. Thank you, kids.” You can read Bridgette Whites full piece on HuffPost via the link below. For a great parenting book about fostering positive body image that addresses the issue of moms grappling with their own body image issues, check out “You’d Be So Pretty If...: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies -- Even When We Don’t Love Our Own” at amightygirl/you-d-be-so-pretty-if For more resources for parents on encouraging a positive body image in their daughters, including the excellent 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, visit amightygirl/parenting/body-image-self-esteem If youd like to foster a positive body image in your Mighty Girl, youll find dozens of empowering books for girls and young women in A Mighty Girls Body Image section at amightygirl/books/personal-development/life-challenges?cat=378 And, for several great self-esteem boosting books about the importance of loving yourself, we highly recommend I Like Myself for ages 3 to 8 (amightygirl/i-like-myself) What I Like About Me! for ages 3 to 7 (amightygirl/what-i-like-about-me), and A Smart Girls Guide to Liking Herself, Even on the Bad Days for ages 9 to 12 (amightygirl/a-smart-girl-s-guide-to-liking-herself).
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:58:26 +0000
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