Growing up, my mom never really talked about her weight. Frankly, she had more important things to worry about, like paying bills and putting food on the table. Plus, both of her jobs (cashiering and cleaning cars) kept her on her feet all day long, so she didn’t really need to worry about it. I mean, she moved nonstop from the time she woke up to the time she went to bed. My mom was probably too tired to care about her weight!
As a family, we never openly talked about weight or body image, but here are some lessons that I learned from my mom:
1️⃣Eat based on what your body craves. My mom said she never really worried about what my sister and I ate as kids. Even though we ate plenty of junk food – Pop Tarts, Little Debbie Snacks, and TV dinners – my mom never criticized our choices. She trusted that we’d eat based on what our bodies needed and set a good example for us. If my mom wanted to snack on some cucumber slices, she would. If she wanted a bowl of ice cream, she’d go right ahead. My sister and I observed my mom’s eating habits and emulated them.
2️⃣Eat based on what makes you happy. Dessert makes my mom happy, so she enjoyed (and still enjoys) it almost every day. Clearly, I’ve adopted this habit from her. Life is too short not to enjoy dessert.
3️⃣Appreciate your body’s athleticism. Growing up, soccer was a huge part of my family’s life. My sister and I played from the time we were in elementary school until we graduated from high school. My mom was always at our games to congratulate us and praise us for our hard work. Being able to perform well on the field was much more important to her than being a certain size.
What did you learn from your mom?Happy Mother’s Day! ❤️#mothersday
As a family, we never openly talked about weight or body image, but here are some lessons that I learned from my mom:
1️⃣Eat based on what your body craves. My mom said she never really worried about what my sister and I ate as kids. Even though we ate plenty of junk food – Pop Tarts, Little Debbie Snacks, and TV dinners – my mom never criticized our choices. She trusted that we’d eat based on what our bodies needed and set a good example for us. If my mom wanted to snack on some cucumber slices, she would. If she wanted a bowl of ice cream, she’d go right ahead. My sister and I observed my mom’s eating habits and emulated them.
2️⃣Eat based on what makes you happy. Dessert makes my mom happy, so she enjoyed (and still enjoys) it almost every day. Clearly, I’ve adopted this habit from her. Life is too short not to enjoy dessert.
3️⃣Appreciate your body’s athleticism. Growing up, soccer was a huge part of my family’s life. My sister and I played from the time we were in elementary school until we graduated from high school. My mom was always at our games to congratulate us and praise us for our hard work. Being able to perform well on the field was much more important to her than being a certain size.
What did you learn from your mom?Happy Mother’s Day! ❤️#mothersday
