Dear Grown Up People of the World,

Please choose the words you use about yourself carefully in front of our children.  You exercise because you want to be healthy, not skinny. You eat fruits and vegetables because that is good nutrition, not because you are on a diet to lose weight. You don’t stand in front of the mirror and stare at your flaws, you see  what your children see – their mom or dad.

Our girls (and boys) learn to see through the grown ups around them all that is wrong about themselves. They forget all that is right. If I could bottle up the confidence and the positive self-image that my girls have at this age and save it for their teen years, I would. But in the meanwhile, I will carry myself with self confidence, loving how I look, how my crazy hair is and wearing makeup only if I feel like it. Our children think we are beautiful. We should start believing it.

xoxo, Rashmi