October 12, 2018

To mothers of daughters...

To Mothers of Daughters... My daughter is almost three inches taller than me and developed almost overnight it seemed. Somehow, my daughter becoming bigger than me sent me into a state of panic. It was the feeling of never being able to put the genie back into the bottle. That was it, she's grown, she'll never be my little girl again.

My instant reaction was to want to shrink her; I wanted her body to look like it did when she was flat and young. I hate to admit it, but I had a moment of thinking maybe I should put her on a diet. If she just lost some weight she would look like her old self.

Then I remembered my mother taking me shopping for my 8th grade graduation dress. She led me to the children's section of the store, which of course offered me no options. The feeling I got from her was one of anger and confusion. She just didn't know what to do with me. I was bigger than her at that point and I didn't look the way she wanted me to look. I felt fat and I felt judged.

She ended up buying me some silky pink old lady dress that looked like something one of the Golden Girls would wear. I couldn't have been more mortified.

So, where does that leave me?

Well, I had to come to a place of acceptance. My daughter was becoming a woman and a beautiful one at that. She's tall and large busted, she likes to wear t-shirts, jeans, and baseball caps. She doesn't like to bathe or fix her hair or wear make-up. She's just who she is and she's the best, most wonderful person I've ever met in my life.

I came across this article that I wished I had found a few years ago when my daughter started going through puberty. I highly encourage you... mothers of daughters, please read: https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/body-image/teen-adolescent-issues.

​As always, for homeschooling ideas go to Blossom Learning. Happy homeschooling!