I first began thinking about this when I was very pregnant with Eli. I would often (jokingly) say "I'm too fat to do that", and then one day I asked Sophia (2 years old at the time) to clean up her blocks and she replied "I can't, I'm too fat." At the time I sort of laughed it off, thinking, "she's too young to know what that means, she's just copying me." But then I realized.... she is copying me! She hears what I say and then repeats it in the same way. If she constantly hears me put myself down, what is that teaching her to do to herself???
Then, on Wednesday, Pastor Thomas spoke about strongholds in our lives, and how we can accidentally pass these strongholds on to our children. Our culture puts so much emphasis on physical beauty, and (as hard as it may be) it's important to raise our girls with a high self esteem. God made each of us special, with no exception to the way we look. I can't imagine how He feels when He hears us say "I'm too fat" "I'm too ugly" "I'm too wrinkly".... I can only compare it to the way I would feel if I heard one of my precious children say these words... heartbroken.
So here's to looking at myself through God's eyes today and saying "I AM BEAUTIFUL!!" :)
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| For this post, I decided to find a picture where I like the way I look. For a lot of women, including myself, this is a HUGE challenge... so today, I challenge you to look in the mirror, or find a photo, and recognize your beauty. Show our little girls what high self esteem looks like! We can tell them about it all day, but if they don't have an example of it, the talk is wasted. |
Beautifully written Mandy! You are so right! And even with boys too, what kind of woman are we letting them see!? We are to be setting the example of what a godly mother and wife should be! Thank you for taking the time to write this! I truly admire you!
ReplyDeleteLOVE!!! I think the same way! I think when you have boys and they hear you beating down on your self, they may subconsciously think that's how the women in their life should be. And they may end up doing that.. :(
ReplyDeleteYou are and always have been our "Pretty Girl"... your beauty radiates from the inside out. Thank you for having the convictions to write about what is in your heart! It's amazing how much a mother can learn from a daughter! I love you! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. More and more I realize that everything I do Landon soaks in. I don't have a little girl but I understand where you are coming from. Beautifully written!
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of 4 girls, I certainly can relate. Everyone in my family fights weight issues. I was determined never to make my daughters feel less than beautiful or make them think I wanted them to be a certain size. I grew up thinking I was fat when, in reality, looking back at pictures, I was not. We also need to teach our young men that the perfect girl for them is not necessarily the pencil thin girl! Men in other cultures love their women with curves. We have raised our boys to believe the curvy girls are fat and not worth their time. Thanks Mandy!
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