I watch my 8 year old SweetGirl don her suit, and throw on her cap and goggles. I can see the butterflies beginning to stir within. It’s a brand new session of synchronized swimming and she is here at the local pool, braving it. Sans BFF.
This group of young girls is a wonderfully eclectic mix.
These burgeoning young women are all jittery. A combination of nerves and excitement. Anxious to make new friends and master this new sport. What I find remarkable is that not one of this group of 9 is sucking in their stomachs, covering their bodies with towels, looking at their reflections in the mirrors with shaking heads or disapproving eyes.
They are confident in their little Speedo suits.
They are beautiful.
I am proud.
So what is that magic age?
At what point do confident little girls become creatures obsessed with how they look. At what point do self assured little girls turn into body obsessed creatures of worry?
How do I bottle this current confidence and swagger, this lightness of heart, and keep that potion for when she needs it during those terrifying teen years…….and beyond!
For now I am thankful for her confidence, for her smile, but wow, a potion like that, available when needed? What a gift that would be.
That’s impressive to do synchronized swimming at age 8. What a great sport. They do have that confidence at that age…I have an almost 10 year old and I see the “cares” of what others think starting in her.
That sounds like one of those “if you let me play sports” commercials. Was that Nike? Perhaps the swimming helps their confidence. I hope she’s able to keep it though or at least have a strong foundation to return to when the rough teen years pass.
i know right.. sometimes i wish we could ALL have the minds of a 9 yr old.. life would be much less drama filled!!
It’s called “hormones” and there ain’t nuttin’ you can do about it… when they appear, everything changes.
Keeps the species alive though 😉
I used to swim– race swimming, not synchronized (that would’ve been SO cool though!). It wasn’t until I was in middle school– so 11 or so?– that I started freaking out about how I looked in a suit. It’s funny, because now that I’m older, I’m back to the point where I don’t care (as much, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care at all).
~Elizabeth
Confessions From A Working Mom
If you figure out how to bottle it, let me know I’ll buy it.
That sport and group of girls sounds like a perfect way to keep “it” in her.
I have to agree with you. I wish there was something out there for when we got older and need it!
That really would be a GREAT thing to bottle to have when we hit the teen years when we question everything or even in your 20 to 30’s.
What a fun thing to do, that is such a great opportunity 🙂
I have a 10 year old and I totally agree.
We focus on “healthy” bodies. I always point out extreme thinness and say “Ick” or obese and say “Not good” To her – everything else in between is good.
I hope it stays that way.
This is a great post to show her someday when she does need that extra confidence. You can tell her that it was always there. 🙂
What an adorable post!
I can’t wait for my daughter to get home!
So sweet and so true! I remember once when Big Sister had heard me fussing about myself when I was trying on dresses, and the next Sunday she didn’t want to wear a certain dress because she “didn’t like her arms” — it broke my heart! She was FOUR at the time!! So *I* am careful about that too, because they pick up on what we think of ourselves more than we know!
I am jealous, I’ve been holding in my stomach my whole life 🙂
Don’t ya just love the innocence at that age? What a shame they learn all that petty stuff later on.
Just keep raising her to be self-confident, proud of what her body can do (swim, run, play,etc.) and keep an emphasis on being healthy instead of skinny – and it may never hit. It didn’t hit me until after the birth of my son when I was 34 🙂