It was my 2 year old’s birthday yesterday, and my son turned 1 month old. A lot of the other moms and some of my relatives at her birthday party commented I had “snapped back.” I understand that the comments were meant as a compliment, but it made me frustrated because they said it in front of my daughter. Is this what we are teaching our young girls... that it matters that you are thin and pretty after having a baby? Shouldn’t it be enough that we love our family? Now we have to worry about snapping back after going through one of the most beautiful and amazing periods of our life? Now we have another reason to feel guilty and ashamed about our bodies.... our amazing bodies that literally can <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glow.android.nurture">nurture</a> life from an embryo.

Screw that. I refuse to feel like that. I had difficulty accepting my body image for a long time in my teens and 20s and struggled with healthy eating and exercise. I’m finally in a place where I’m comfortable with my imperfections. And I refuse to pass that sentiment of “snapping back to a thin body = beauty and success” onto my daughter or unrealistic expectations for women onto my son. Even though the comments are well intentioned, it is so important the messages we send to our kids. I just want my daughter to grow up chasing dreams and not a thin waistline.