Encouragement

A Word of Encouragement From the Other Side My husband and I were married for seven years before we decided to have a child. He knew he always wanted a child (or children). I wasn’t so sure. The fact that we weren’t in the same place with the idea didn’t really matter because both of us were busy working and enjoying our jobs and each other. We were enough. We were totally happy. As I got older, we discussed it a bit more often because BIOLOGY. At 30, I wasn’t ready. Nope. Not 31. Or 32. I had Ellen when I was halfway to 34. My least favorite thing about having a child in the beginning? Everything. Every. Single. Thing. Let’s take it back even...

Dear Mom, I know I've probably told you thousands of times, but thanks.  Since becoming a mother myself I realize how much this short little word means, and I know it can never be said enough.  You see, as a child I knew that I had a great mom, but I had no idea what being a great mom involved.  I'll admit that at times, I took for granted perfectly made beds, warm, delicious suppers, new shoes, and the constant driving around you did to get me to whatever sport or activity I was into at that moment.  If you were exhausted, I never knew it.  You always seemed to have boundless energy to care for your children and our...

This feels like it was a lifetime ago and not even real life, but as I recount the past memories, it was indeed very real. Only my family and closest friends have heard these details, so please bear with me. I was young, having fun and at the tail end of finishing a successful high school career where I was surrounded by girlfriends I adored, and there was a bright future awaiting me. As with a lot of teenagers, dating was a part of the high school scene. I didn’t have much experience of course, but I was smitten with this one boy who was a little older me. When we started dating, it seemed like a harmless adventure that...

I was picked up for gymnastics carpool and I jumped in the passenger’s side back seat to sit next to my friend. We were both wearing our leotards for class. I looked down at my bare legs on the seat and saw that my thighs spread – more than my friend’s. Horrified, I immediately put my toes to the floorboard and pushed enough to lift most of my legs off of the seat beneath me. I was in fifth grade, probably only 55 lbs and an athlete by any standard for my age (10). I don’t remember when I adopted such a distorted view about myself. It’s just always been there. I come by it honestly enough, really. My mother...

Our society puts a lot of pressure and worth on physical appearance. How attractive we are to others can affect our success in life – our place among friends, all levels of schooling, mate selection, even our jobs. There is no getting around this societal norm – it has to be faced one way or the other, particularly for women and girls in my opinion. It’s likely something we have all encountered before, and for me it drives home in a major way when I think about my child and how physical appearance already affects her young life. I have always been comfortable in my own bare skin even before I became a mom. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy going glam...