Growing up as a girl has no doubt provided some challenges for me. One of them, probably the biggest one, was the lack of confidence I always had in myself. I don’t know if there was ever a time growing up that I remember feeling perfectly happy about who I was and what I looked like. I always felt like I could be funnier, smarter, prettier, happier, you name it. I’m sure that I’m not the only girl who remembers feeling this way. In fact, I would bet that there are a large amount of women who can perfectly relate to this.
I know that when we talk about a lack of confidence in girls, people often go straight into attack mode on the tabloids, TV, magazines, media, etc. But I’m here to tell you that as a girl who struggled with confidence most of my life, it wasn’t the tabloids who taught me to feel that way. I learned it from seeing countless women in my life constantly looking down on themselves; never feeling they were enough, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Sure, I would see women on magazines and wished I looked like them but if I would have had just one constant source in my life REFUSING to let the media influence her, I know that I would have felt the same way. What kids are taught in their home can triumph anything the media tries to teach them, you just might have to say your message a little louder and more consistently than the media does.
The truth is, I have one regret from high school and it was my lack of confidence. I never thought I was enough and I darn well should have. It has taken years for me to finally believe that I’m an awesome person who is pretty and if someone doesn’t think that then I don’t care to have that person in my life. They will just be missing out on my awesome-ness :). Yeah, everyone has faults. I complain too much, I do have weight to lose, I stink at being a good wife and mom somedays. But at the end of the day I’m doing my very best. That’s all I should expect from myself. After all, how can I truly love other people if I don’t love myself?
So what will I do to teach my Evie girl to be confident? SHOW HER. I won’t just tell her what a confident women looks like, I will show her in my actions EVERY SINGLE DAY and never EVER falter in those actions. Regardless of how bloated I feel that day, regardless of which recent business idea completely failed, regardless of what size pant I’m currently in, regardless of how crappy of a “mom job” I feel like I’m doing that day. I won’t let a day go by without her knowing that she has a mom who truly believes in herself.
This “believe in yourself” princess print from Artissimo Designs is 100% perfect for Evie’s room. I hope she wakes up every single day, sees the picture, and gets ready to conquer the world!
Evie’s outfit came from Swap.com
My shirt// Shop Stevie pants// Target
Roxana B. Photography took my beautiful pictures!
What are some things that you do to instill confidence in your kids? I would love to hear your thoughts!
