This Saturday, I'm Grateful for......Hindsight!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Dr Seuss.

Yesterday, I read Kelle's post about The Dove's Self Esteem Movement ! Her honesty, her words, her photos were heart-wrenching but so beautiful....I was left feeling emotional, empowered & inspired!

After reading the post, I watched THIS short video clip by Dove! It got me thinking about about sooooo many things....you know when one thought leads to another, and then another, and then you're left thinking "Wow....how did I get here?"

First I was thinking about BEAUTY! As a woman, feeling beautiful is important! It's not the be all & end all of life....but feeling a sense of beauty within yourself plays a HUGE part in the lifestyle you live, the people you associate with, the choices you make & the experiences you have! And I don't think beauty should be only related to a certain hair colour or a weight range or what brand clothes you wear! Beauty is soooo much more! It's accepting yourself for WHO you are, focusing on things that you LOVE about yourself instead of the things you aren't 100% over the moon with and finding a way to 'rock & flaunt' all your flaws!! I guess what I'm trying to say is.....CONFIDENCE is BEAUTY!! Not 'over the top, out loud, show off, i'm better than you' confidence....but a genuine, 'I love myself for who I am, I have accepted myself for all my perfections & flaws, I make an effort to better myself {on the inside}, and I'm truly smiling a real beam of happiness & acceptance!' type of confidence!!! As Kelle said...most of the woman she remembers for their beauty weren't slim supermodels.....but women who were graced with self-confidence....women who 'rocked' their wrinkles, braces, bad skin, greying hair, bodyweight or disability'. Women who smile from the inside. Women who give compliments. Women who put a lot of time into shaping their daughters into becoming confident women. You get my gist :)

{photo by Kelle Hampton}

Then my thoughts lead to my role as a Mother of a DAUGHTER!! This world is full of love & beauty & wonderful experiences, but it's also full of traps, disappointments, pressures, decisions & nastiness! I believe that being a teenager into today's world would be tough work! Peer pressure & media pressure is at it's peak! The stats are showing the scarily increasing number of teens turning to drugs & even suicide to escape their adolescent problems...this is something we need to focus on!!!

Ella will have a lot of influences in her life.....family, friends, teachers, celebrities, media forms etc! But as her Mother, it is my goal.....my choice......my RESPONSIBILITY to guide her as best I can. Teach her of the ups & downs of life. Explain the ins & outs of situations. Allow her to make mistakes. Trust her to make own decisions. Embed an understanding of consequences & ownership. And.....SHOW HER what confidence is, what love is, what organisation is, what hard work is, what fun is, what friendship means & how special she truly is! Who's with me on this one? Who else is as compassionate about leading their daughters down a path of goodness & happiness!? Sure, there'll be stress...there'll be tears.....there'll be mistakes....there'll be worries....but hopefully she'll have the self-confidence to be who she wants to be & feel BEAUTIFUL everyday of her life....and see true beauty in others too!

{Image: Ella & I ~ 2 girls having fun!}

Then....my train of thoughts stopped at the "HINDSIGHT" Station! I looked back, I reflected on my childhood & my teenage years! I'll be honest....I had a wonderful upbringing! We weren't rich, but my parents prioritised their finances on us kids having the best possible education & amazing family experiences! My childhood is full of sweet sweet memories! I was brought up in a house of love! For that I'm so very grateful! But not everyone is that lucky! Not every child is brought up with that structure or morals or freedom or love! That saddens me! I see it everyday in my job as a Primary Teacher....I see some children who are exposed to elements of neglect, who are not their parents priority, who have grown up in a world of drama & chaos & abuse! My heart breaks for these children...they didn't choose that for themselves :( I wish....oh how I wish, I had a magic wand & could make life beautiful & peaceful & passionate for these children! I can do this.....from 9am-3pm, but I wish they could live a magical life 24hrs a day, not just 6hrs!!

And back to the topic of HINDSIGHT.....Kelle prompted her readers with a question....."What would you tell your 13yr old self?" To that I responded: "I'd tell my 13yr old self that's ok to be immature at 13....there's no hurry to grow up...you're still young! It's ok to still have a passion for horses & collect Sylvanian toys & it's ok to have more time for friends & fun & giggling then for boys! And you will get heart broken along the way...by boys & even friends! But it'll be ok...stay true to yourself & treasure the ones who truly treasure YOU! Smile.....be happy and SMILE!!! And don't loose hope...a gorgeous blue eyed man will sweep you off your feet when you're older & bring so much joy & love into your life! He will fall in love with your smile.....see I told you to SMILE!!! :) Radiate confidence....your skin won't be perfect, so stop worrying about it & just rock on! Let people in....never shut out the chance to make a new friend, hear another's story or be there for someone!"

And on that note....I'm thankful for HINDISGHT...it leads you to wonderful realisations, treasured memories, lessons learnt & powerful thoughts! This is part of Maxabella's GRATEFUL linky post! Head over for a look :)

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR 13yr OLD SELF? I'D LOVE TO READ YOUR COMMENTS!!!!