My baby girl (12 years old) and I are in love with Ed Sheeran.
We listen to him while we bake together,
or when we’re hanging out in the kitchen,
often singing with him,
and occasionally breaking into a dance.
OMG have I told you what my two teen girls do?
When I start dancing around the house to their music,
Which happens very often, I have to admit,
They surreptitiously pull out their phones,
Video me,
And post it on Snapchat for all their friends to see!!
I’m choosing to make it mean they think I’m a really cool mom.
Apparently their friends agree.
(Even with the strongest mind management skills in the world,
I could not make it mean that they think I’m a great dancer.)
Anyway….
This morning, on the way to school, she was singing
“Oh-I-Oh-I-Oh-I I’m in love with your body…..”
Notwithstanding my opinions about the message in this song,
It’s a catchy tune, and I j0ined her.
But I changed one word.
My version goes
“Oh-I-Oh-I-Oh-I I’m in love with my body…..”
She looked at me.
With that look I choose to interpret to mean that she thinks I’m a really cool mom.
What? I asked her.
Listen, it’s just as easy to love your body as it is to hate your body.
It’s a decision.
It’s got nothing to do with the shape of your body,
Or what anyone else thinks about it.
It’s just so much easier to move through life in a body you love.
So love it.
There. It’s that simple.
Just decide.
You too.
Yes, I see your cellulite,
And your flabby bits.
I see the scars, the moles, the droops.
I have those too.
Nothing at all to do with the lovability of my body.
There’s no objective measure of lovability.
I know there’s a culturally agreed upon measure of lovability.
But I know that you’re a thinking person,
Who evaluates what your culture tells you to believe.
So use that skill here.
Lovability is a personal decision.
And I choose to love my body (and yours).
Unreservedly.
Unashamedly.
and Unconditionally.
My body doesn’t have to earn my love
By looking a certain way or being a certain size.
Lovability doesn’t have to pass any test.
It just has to feel better.
And moving through the world in a body I love
Feels soooo much better than doing so in a body I hate.
Join me?