So it happened. I couldn’t believe it when it did. My four year old said the “f” word. In fact, he called me the “f” word. That’s right… fat. He told me my belly was fat. And I cried.
Now, he is a very sweet boy and I know he didn’t do it with mean intentions. In fact, he was smiling when he did it almost like he was teasing me and trying to be funny. When he saw the reaction on my face, I knew he immediately felt bad although I don’t think he completely understood why.
My first reaction was “why would you say that?” He of course didn’t know. My next thought was “Where would he have even heard that being said to someone?” And that’s when I realized it. He had heard it from ME. Me, talking about Myself and the imperfections that I have been struggling with. I try not to say it in front of my kids, but I know I have slipped up.
Let’s be honest here… After having 3 children within a 4 year time period, things don’t just pop back how they used to be. At least not for me. My weight has been up and down and my body has carried 3 human beings in 4 years. Let’s just say I’m not anywhere near feeling comfortable putting on a bikini anytime in my near future.
But this whole being called fat thing really made me reflect on myself… not about my not so flat belly, but the words that I am speaking over myself and also the same words that I have allowed my children to hear me say about myself.
I never want my children to question their self worth based on their appearance, or to judge somebody else based on theirs. I know we can be our own biggest critics, but we need to stop being so hard on ourselves. I realize that I need to make a change in my own self- ridicule. So here goes… I am making it a goal to not say anything negative about my appearance in 2018- especially in front of my children. If this is something you struggle with, I encourage you to do the same thing. I want my kids to grow up being confident individuals, knowing that they are loved, and valuable regardless of their appearance. I never want them to say the things about themselves that I often catch myself saying about me so I will do my part and lead by example. Let’s make 2018 the year we focus on true beauty that comes from within ourselves!