I'm riled up right now because I just read another woman's blog post that may well have been written in response to one of mine. The title of her post was something like "No, I won't put on my swimsuit." The author attempts to make the point that she doesn't need to...
Body Image and Young Women
5 Ways to Live Out a Healthy Body Image For Your Daughter
What does a healthy body image even look like? I honestly didn’t know the answer to that question. I was determined to find out, though. Now I had a daughter. Through her, I saw my own body image struggles in a whole new light. While I knew I would never be able to...
Printable Body Image Prayer for My Daughter
This is a prayer I wrote for every girl mom. If we want to keep our girls from struggling with body image and comparison the way that we have, the best things we can do are model a healthy body image and sense of Christ-derived value and to pray. Print this prayer and...
The Other Woman: Sorting Through Your Own Body Image Issues While Raising a Daughter
Another woman moved into my house. She's skinnier than me, has a better figure than me, carries a youthful glow I lack, possesses no trace of cellulite, and she fits into the jeans size of my dreams. That woman is my daughter. What a twist. I birth my third baby, feel...
What My Dieting Showed My Daughter
I hate to admit this. For the longest time, when it comes to food and body image I wasn’t a great example to my daughter. Oh, I thought I was. I read all the articles about it. In my head, I knew that the way I viewed my own body wielded the greatest power over how...
Did You Just Call Me Fat? Finding Hope Even When Words Hurt
“Marlee, I need my hands. When you’re chunky like your mom and I, you need your hands to get up. That’s just what fat people do.” Oh, no she did not. But one look at my daughter’s face confirmed what I already knew: Oh, yes, she did. An ordinary playdate on an...
When Taking Photos Brings Out Your Inner Perfectionist
My seven-year-old daughter bounded in the room and asked to play “silly selfies” with me on my phone. This little game is exactly what it sounds like: she and I put our heads together and make funny faces into the camera. “Sure!” I answered as I made my way to the...
Joy and Fear of the Holiday Season
This is by far, my favorite time of year. Brisk mornings with a hot cup of coffee in hand. Apple-cinnamon aroma that fills the entire house. Vibrant red and orange leaves falling from the trees. A crackling fireplace warming the living room. Christmas music and...
What’s Better Than Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Several of my friends wriggle with fret over the outcome of last week's election. "The glass ceiling stays intact. What will we tell our daughters?" I'm not concerned. What women need more than a shattered glass ceiling is a rock solid floor. Allow me to explain. As I...
Worried About Daughter’s Weight? How to Stop Freaking Out!
As my daughter stood next to me in the bathroom and put on the tiny bit of mascara and lip gloss she announces that she thinks the crocheted head warmer she's wearing is "too much" for her outfit. I look at my wonderfully made, beautiful daughter in the mirror-- the...