In My Own Skin

At some point, like the rest of us, I learned to be ashamed of my body. I am not sure exactly when it happened to me, but I know it happens to most women, and I know it happens much, much sooner than it should.

I can remember being a little girl running around naked without caring, making mud pies and playing with blocks. I didn't think about the size of my butt. I didn't think about how much I weighed or about any of my imperfections. I didn't look at my sister and compare her form to mine. We just played together. How free. How nice that would be. How comfortable to just be in your own skin that way.

I don't want it to happen to Lena or even to Eli, but I'm sure it will. And it probably will happen too soon. Until then, I can at least be conscious of and enjoy their comfort now, their utter disregard for clothes, their failure to recognize flaws as anything less than beautiful, their complete ignorance of what one is "supposed" to look like.

Sounds comfy, doesn't it?
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(This entry is in response to this week's Mama Says Om theme: comfort.)

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Comments

Elaine said…
I hate that. I hate that I have to worry about who's looking at my kid when she peels off her dress at the park and runs screaming around the swings in her underwear. Was life always this complicated?
6/15/2006 1:04 AM
Anonymous said…
So true! My daughter loves to run around naked and she does it a fair amount at home. I'm working on my own body image in hopes of providing a good model as she grows.
6/15/2006 7:44 AM
Anonymous said…
thems some cutie hineys!!
6/15/2006 9:35 AM
mary said…
My maddie loves to strip down and run around saying "I nakie, I nakie". It always looks so liberating. Maybe toddlers and nudists are on to something. Ha!
6/15/2006 1:18 PM
Nicole said…
Amen! I can hardly keep my boys dressed. And I remember,too, noticing when my legs began to look "bigger" in 6th grade PE class and feeling so fat. Now, looking back, I was a stick. Sometimes I'm relieved to have all boys!
6/15/2006 11:25 PM
Crazy MomCat said…
My son's already there-- he wants "privacy." He's always been super modest though. I think he gets that from his Dad. My daughter, now I fully expect her to be our family streaker for many years to come!
6/16/2006 12:01 AM
Anonymous said…
Fabulous post. I had forgotten that when my older son was young he used to proclaim Saturdays 'Naked Day' when we didn't have anywhere to go. Thanks for bringing that memory back for me.
6/17/2006 9:06 AM
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