Skinny

I think Maggie is the perfect size. When she was younger than two and was hovering around the 20th percentile, I thought teeny was adorable. When she turned two and shot up in height (she's been around the 75th percentile since her second birthday), I thought tall was excellent. She's really athletic and lean and loves to run and feel her body work the way God made it.

I can't remember a time that I ever thought my body was the perfect size. I've been thicker and I've been thinner throughout my adult life, and I've never really been grateful for it, but I want something better for my girls, and the girls (girls?! Hopefully just one girl, after he turns 20-something) in Finn's life. Honestly, the only thing that made me glad about my body was having my babies without any drugs. Don't worry, this isn't a natural childbirth post, but I just want to point out that seeing my body work in that way really made me feel proud of the way God made me.

So ever since Maggie was born I decided that I would work as hard as I could to help her develop good habits for food and exercise. We eat lots of fruits and veggies and try not to eat too many sweets (this is hard for me - I love fruits AND veggies but also I have a serious sweet tooth and love to bake). I don't want to demonize "bad" foods so I don't outlaw them all together. I try to make sure she gets enough physical activity every day (and I plan on doing the same for all three children) and sees me exercising so it's just a normal part of life for her. But more than teaching her healthy habits, I want to work on the way her mind views her body.

I never say I'm fat in front of Maggie. I never say I want to be skinny or that I want to lose weight. I tell her I love my body (yes, I'm lying through my teeth but maybe by saying it the feelings will come?) and that I love that God gave me such good legs for running, or such strong arms for lifting Carolina. I praise her for her quick running or her strong kicking or her intelligence or the funny joke she made up, and I tell her she's beautiful, I do, but I want her to know her worth comes not as a beautiful girl or a skinny girl or even a smart girl, but that she has worth as a daughter of Christ and as the person He made her to be.

I'm not perfect at this and maybe this big experiment (isn't all of our parenting pretty much a big experiment?) will fail me and she will have just as much self-loathing as I do. Maybe I'll help her to have a positive body image, but how can any of us compete with the images she's getting from tv, music, and even dolls (yes, I mean those Barbie dolls, and others...)?

So, please, when Maggie's around, don't tell her you're trying to lose weight. Don't turn food down saying it has too many calories (you're welcome to turn it down and think this, but I'd rather you didn't say it!). Don't compliment the other person with you on being so skinny. Just remember - God made your body and hers, and I am in a battle against the world for how she views His creation.

I'm not saying this to anyone in particular, so please don't think I'm calling anyone out. And just to show you I'm not perfect (and also that I don't deprive her of treats), here is a photo of Maggie enjoying her first double dip ice cream cone. She chose dark chocolate and black coffee...I was so proud! :)