To Your Kids You Are Perfect—Let That Be Enough
I’ve always struggled with confidence. Ever since I was little, I remember being insecure about how I looked. I wasn’t overweight as a…
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self image
The Woman in the Mirror Has a Life Worth Every Scar
I was 12 years old when stretch marks first made an appearance on my body. While I had noticed them before, it was in a dressing room where…
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They Said I’d Bounced Back, But I Felt Absolutely Awful
The first remark came two days after my daughter was born, as we stopped at the receptionist’s desk in the pediatrician’s office to make her…
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To the Extra 17 Pounds: Thank You
It was a single picture of me that did it. I looked at it on my screen and saw “me” all over it. My spirit. My joy. My contentment. My…
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To My Daughter, 11 Things I Want You To Know Before You Turn 11
To my (not-so) little girl, Here are 11 things I want you to know before you become an 11-year-old: 1. I will always love you, no matter what.…
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He Took the Picture—and I Hated it
He took the picture, just like I always ask (OK, nag) him to. My toddler and I were reading books in bed, his head on my shoulder and arms…
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It’s Time to Stop Caring About These 15 Extra Pounds
My new normal is 15 pounds heavier. I’m not writing this because I’ve embraced that. I’m writing this because I think it’s time to. Because…
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To the Self-Conscious Wife Afraid to be Seen
It’s not uncommon for the lights to go out on our sex lives when couplehood is suddenly redefined by parenthood. I’m not just referring…
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I’m Finally Losing the Weight
I’ve carried this weight since I was 11. That’s when it came, unbidden, unwanted, and for me, unexpected. It showed up everywhere, my legs, my…
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You Are More Than Your Postpartum Body
I looked down at my puffy, pasty thighs, the lemony lighting of the dressing room highlighting every angle of the enlarged lumps and humps of my…
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