Body Image.

Had a talk about body image (in not so many words) with my FIVE YEAR OLD daughter a few days ago.

Here is the senerio. I am in the bathroom, doing something... fixing my makeup - I think. Anyways, Emma comes in. She is topless. She has jeans on. She looks at me and says, " I need to lose weight." So I say, "No, you don't. Why would you say that?" And she replies, " I don't like the way my body looks. My body looks funny."

I explained to her that she is beautiful, that God makes us all different, and the most important thing is that we are healthy.

The next day, she came downstairs and says, "Mom, I want to be a supermodel."

Ahh, a little girl with dreams.
She has since been praticing her walk, her turns, and her look.

Where does it come from. I have always been careful not to use the F A T word around her. I have always exersized - except for the past six months - but that is another blog in itself.
STILL, it is already about looks. How does it come to this? Is it from something as simple as me wearing makeup? Is it Hannah Montana and the Disney Channel? I wish someone can tell me why she doesn't understand - even though I say it over and over - you have to be pretty on the inside as well as the outside.

Hmmm.

Funny questions.

We had a new conversation.
It went something like this.

Emma: Mom, do cows pee milk?
Me: No
Emma: How does their milk come out?
Me: Well, they have cow boobies, they are called udders.
Emma: AAAHHH, Well, I am telling Macey.

Macey is a 7 year old (!) kindergartner in Emma's class. I won't say anymore about that - except that Macey is the girl that told Em about sticking her tongue in her boyfriend's mouth. But that is another post all by itself.

Where have I been?!?!

Ah, I love my Internet service. Sad to say, I have been without since last FRIDAY (!). How does that happen, you wonder? Well, WE MOVED (!). I am so happy to be in a different, larger (more mine) home. I love the yard, I love the character, I love the fact that it is different.

Whew!

So, I have spent the weekend packing, unpacking, packing and unpacking. We did have minimal help that included Dave's friend Pat and my brother Chris. Yet, we survived. We wrangled the kids as we moved furniture and boxes. We explained to a sleepy three year old that we CAN'T go home - we are home.

My sweet husband has lived in the house we left for 23 (!) years. So sad to leave, yet now, I think he is OK. In fact, probably more than OK. I think once we finish the other addition, add him on a grillin' deck for the summer, and get everything situated, he will be as ecstatic as I am!

(!) - Just felt like sharing how excited I am with the move (!)

I have lots of stories to blog about, once my Internet is back to functioning.

Good to be back (!)
Mel