What Crazy Mixed Up Message Do We Send Our Children?

I despise the word “normal” it’s something I have never understood.

What is normal? I don’t think such a thing exists….or rather it does however it has endless meanings.

In a world where mixed messages are at an all time high, as is our judgements, the level of  obesity, the level of depression, the level of suicide, the level of bullying and the level of eating disorders. Tell me what is normal? Tell me what messages are we sending to younger generations?

Never before has there been such a highly educated generation, these people are smart, they are kind and they are important. Why are we trying to distort their vision?

1. We are a “healthy” school however we sell junk in the canteen.
2. We have “real” models in this magazine yet not one is above a size 8
3. We are a TV show kids can relate too however everyone on it is drop dead gorgeous.
4. You’re allowed to express yourself as long as you adhere to our endless guidelines
5. You’re obese because you watch too much TV and don’t get outside but you make me feel like an outsider if I don’t have these “things”
6. You are beautiful just the way you are but let me just fix your hair, change that top, pluck this hair and pop that pimple.
7. You are beautiful just the way you are just don’t dare go over a size 10.

What is normal?

1. Normal is a teenager having pimples
2. Normal is people to be born with birthmarks
3. Normal is children losing their teeth
4. Normal is children to arrive home scruffy after playing all day
5. Normal is children to be high one minute and crying the next.
6. Normal is for us to come in all sizes, all shapes and all colors.
7. Normal is children experimenting  to find themselves

And don’t fucking take that away from them with your unrealistic expectations.

Shocked, disgusted and appalled am I to find that there is a retouching service on school photos, so you’re beautiful as long as you look this way. The school photos with the massive pimple, the toothless smile are the ones you remember…. They are the ones that make you smile.

If your child has acute acne it’s nothing to be ashamed of it makes them special, if your child has an obvious birthmark that’s what makes them special and if other people judge them for that then that is their own insecurities.

Beautiful is a child who shines brightly from the inside, let them shine. If we spent half as much time focusing on what’s going on inside our children as we do focusing on the outside maybe depression in children wouldn’t be at an all time high.

Focus on what matters.