It is officially summer here—and as a mom, I have had it! This summer, I am taking a stand and declaring that this summer is for every mom bod out there, and it will be the summer that we wear the DAMN bathing suit!
Rock that Mom Bod
I understand how self-conscious it is to be a mom—believe me! I see young twenty-somethings at the beach that look like they stepped out of a photoshoot as opposed to our day at the beach that involved a million “necessities,” a toddler who threw a tantrum and not one moment to enjoy my beer since I’m not only mom, I’m doubling as a lifeguard, too.
I, too, was once a young twenty-something who arrived at the beach without a care in the world. In fact, if my college self saw me in a two-piece today, she would probably tell me to rock the one-piece instead. But my college self was so naive and thought that her body could take anything (honestly, it had survived way too many nights of tequila shots and Natty Light).
What my college self didn’t know were all the amazing things that my body would be capable of doing. I am still in awe that my body could create and carry a beautiful smart little girl in just 42 weeks. And then, after 22 hours of labor and an emergency c-section, it would bounce right back to take care of this small, delicate newborn. And still, throughout her first year of life, my mom bod could provide the sole form of nutrition to that little girl—and even a little extra to donate to babies in need. My body could survive off very little sleep, be drained to the point where I thought I had nothing left—and then give more.
Our bodies are truly amazing in what we can do, not only as moms but as women.
Wear the Damn Bathing Suit
I know that as a mom, I am guilty of trying to hide the stretch marks, baby weight and c-section scars and shelf when in all honesty, I should rock them as the battle scars they are. These marks and parts of our body that we deem are unsightly are actually signs of our body’s strength—proof that our body can do anything.
Moms deserve to wear the damn bathing suit—and feel as beautiful as our children see us. Rock the c-section scars, stretch marks and baby weight as you chase after your wonderful children in the ocean.
Wear the damn bathing suit so you don’t miss out on time with your family. Rather than sit on the side of the pool fully-clothed worrying about the size of your thighs, put on your bathing suit and play Marco Polo in the pool with your kids. Teach your littles how to do cannonballs. Make memories with your family rather than sit on the sidelines and watch memories being made around you.
The truth is, your kids won’t remember your stretch marks, baby weight or the c-section shelf. Your kids will remember the afternoon you spent building the largest sandcastle they have ever seen or those morning swims at the neighborhood pool.
Maybe if all of us moms got out this summer and wore our damn bathing suits, it would help encourage other moms to get out there and do the same.
We only get so many summers with our kids, let’s not waste them worrying about how we look—instead, let’s just wear the damn bathing suit.
Ashley Gillis
Tinybeans Voices ContributorAshley Gillis is a mom to a beautiful, spunky little girl and is the Co-Founder of Hampton Roads Moms, a lifestyle blog and resource for Mom's in South East Virginia. She is a lover of the beach, margaritas, coffee, running and speaking her mind. You can get more of Ashley at www.hrvamoms.com.
