What are we saying to our daughters.....

I overheard the girls talking with one another the other day….one tells the other, “you know, little girls don’t have hair underneath their arms. Mommies do, so they need to shave because girls aren’t suppose to have hair on their arms.”

"Ooohh…that’s gross!”~the other chimes in. 

Interesting that this conversation also took place the same week that another asked me why I shave my legs and curiously asked me if she could one day shave her legs too.  “Sure, one day” I replied. That answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity, so we left it at that.

Innocent questions. 

However, after reading this shocking and disturbing article it got me thinking about the messages we might unknowingly send to our captivated little girls who are watching mommy and forming their own ideas about what a woman's body "should" look like.

My first thought after reading this article was, “are you kidding me!  A boob job is one thing, but giving a gift certificate for a FUTURE boob job to a 7 year old who hasn’t even hit puberty…absurd!!! What is she thinking?” 

While it’s so easy to judge this mom, as I thought about what must have been going through her mind, I had a shift of emotions. I went from outrage to anger to sadness.  This poor mom must have a very low view of self, so much so that she is passing on her own insecurities to a daughter who hasn’t even lived long enough to develop yet. It’s really sad when you think about it.

While most of us might find this mother's actions very disturbing, it did get me thinking about the negative self images we all carry in one form or another and how we may be unconsciously passing those on to our girls….something to really think about.

Date Night (4 Kids Later)

As our family grows, date night looks a little different these days. We're learning how to be a little more intentional and creative in order to get a little more "quality time"... our primary love language.

We've learned this works best when we let the kids in on our plans and explain to them that mommy and daddy are going to have a "date night" at home together.  Initially, there used to be protesting, but now the girls really seem to get excited about daddy taking mommy on a date -- even if it is just to the living room!  While the boys have no clue of what's going on, Tim really does such a wonderful job of explaining how important it is for mommy and daddy to have some grown up time together. 

So here's what it may look like.......The kids are all bathed, have eaten and are all tucked in bed by 8:00pm.  The girls are able to stay up a little later and love to camp out in their room together. We help them have their own movie experience complete with popcorn and candy providing they stay in their room while mommy and daddy have their date. 

On occasion, Tim fires up the grill and we have a low lit dinner on the porch followed by a movie we've been wanting to see.  

We haven't gotten into the whole Netflix thing yet, but I am a little curious about it, so if you use it, what has your experience been? 

The other night we watched Country Strong with Gwyneth Paltrow and Garret Hedlund. I was a little reluctant to watch it, but you can't really go wrong with Gwyneth Paltrow....she's such a great actress. 

While the movie did not disappoint, what I loved most was the movie soundtrack. Gwyneth did a great job and I absolutely loved Garret's deep piercing voice. I'd never really heard of  Leighton Meester either, but am slowly becoming a fan. ; ) 

Needless to say, the Country Strong Soundtrack is on repeat around the Barosh home these days. Here is my favorite, "Timing is Everything" followed closely by "Give in to Me".

"Give in to Me"