On me: Red Sweatshirt / Hat / Bodysuit
In honor of International Women’s Day, I want to take some time to talk about daughters. They’re the light of our lives, a critical part of our purpose and at my house, the reason we buy so much damn milk. My daughter is extra special. Yeah, yeah I know if you have one, yours is too, but mine came after I lost my mom and shook my world so fast my head spun, my heart melted and for the first time, I felt that all the love my mom had given me was part of my life again. Finally, I have my own daughter – the real-life American Girl Doll I always wanted but never could afford! Even better, I get to be the mother which surprisingly is helping me fill a lot of the voids I had (or felt I had) because through mothering her, I am forced to mother myself. As a mother/human, I am far from perfect, but I can convince myself on most days that I am exactly what my kids need, plus a little neurosis they probably don’t need, but if we don’t screw them up a little did they really even have a childhood? You don’t need to answer that. 🙂
The things that I think I am tackling just fine? Sure, let focus on those: instilling a love of sports and movement and sharing the joys of (mostly) healthy eating. Harlowe once held two 5lb weights in her hands and bent down to the floor then asked me, ‘is this is how you deadlift?” Although her form was admittedly pretty bad, I thought I had won at parenting because I had this little 7-year-old girl interested in powerlifting. We have years to work on the form. The mindset impressed the heck out me and made me so proud. Why is that so important you ask? Here are just a few things that sports help girls develop:
Higher body esteem
Lower risk of obesity
Better at organizing
Better at setting priorities
Better at time management
Higher self-esteem
Increased networking skills
Reduced anxiety
Helps develop a sense of friendliness among other children
What can be wrong with girls filled with confidence, healthy habits and time management skills? Nothing, girl. Happy International Women’s Day to all the girls (and women out there) I hope you have some time to get active today with your friends, family or little ones. Who knows what it could lead to.
On me: Red Sweatshirt / Hat / Bodysuit
