Thursday, June 15, 2017
Embracing Them for Who They Are
It's no lie that every child is different. Henry, our oldest, was a pacifier kid. Wesley, our middle man, came out of the womb basically sucking on his two fingers and has ever since. I could go on and on listing the differences in our children, but one big lesson I've learned as a mother is totally embracing your children's differences.
Wesley was a Mickey lover as a two year old, which shifted to Minnie, which then shifted to a love of all things Frozen and princesses. His love of Frozen ran so deep that last Halloween, he totally wanted to dress up as Anna. I wasn't 100% sure about it, mostly because I was worried about what other people would think. That's right, I was worried about that. I hesitantly ordered up the Anna costume, but continued to show him other costumes. "Are you SURE you don't want to be ______?" I would ask/half beg to find an alternative to him dressing as a girl. Finally, he gave in to my annoying continual asking and said he would like to be Olaf. I ordered that snowman suit quicker than the words came out of his mouth and remember feeling somewhat ashamed returning the Anna costume to the store and the store clerk asking me if "my daughter" had changed her mind. I mumbled something like yes under my breath and quickly exited the store.
Fast forward to Wesley's birthday, and a dress was STILL on his list. I bought him Anna and Elsa dolls, socks, all that I felt like I could acceptably do as a "boy mom." Then the day of his party, Wesley opened up a package from his Aunt Jolene. In it contained one beautiful Elsa coronation gown complete with cape and gloves. The light in Wesley's eyes and the gasp was priceless... yet I was still worried about "what other people would think."
Wesley wore the costume all the way though his party and to bed that night. It was a dream come true for him, and something switched for me over the next few days. I needed to learn to embrace this. I posted pictures of Wesley's party on the blog and comments came in about how too many parents wouldn't let their sons dress up in dresses, and thanking me that I allowed him that freedom. From that week on, I vowed to embrace it, every single somewhat feminine detail of it, because Wesley deserves for me to love him for who he is, not for who some in society think he should be.
Now, Wesley wears his Elsa costume almost daily, or as much as I can keep it washed.
That's what I love about Fruit Shoot's new campaign It's My Thing. This juice company is all about helping kids embrace who they are! And the product is just as good as the campaign motto. Fruit Shoot juices are perfect for our on the go and little kid lifestyle.
We love Fruit Shoots because they have a resealable cap, they are perfect for on the go, and there's no straw to get lost or pouch to cause messy spills! Plus they taste great, too! My boys love both the Strawberry & Raspberry one and the Berry Burst. We can't wait to get our hands on the Fruit Punch flavor next.
I fount Fruit Shoots at our local Walmart, but you can go here to find where they are located in your area!
What's your kids' thing? Are you working to embrace it?
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