In a world of gurus and influencers, media consumption is seemingly easy to do. It's everywhere.

Much of what we ingest is dictated by feeds determined to be of our liking...literally because we see or like something algorithms trigger more of it. These algorithms become tangible when the people around us start looking the same. Do we even realize this is happening? As a mom, I worry.

My daughter is entering high school and I worry that I'm not doing enough. Is she embracing her own style? Her own body? Is she confident in who she is and what she brings to the table? Does she value herself? Does she love herself?

About a year ago she low key mentioned that she liked my face without makeup. Initially, I was a little insulted. Did I really look that bad? Was I trying too hard?

As I dwelled on these thoughts, it hit me; She said I didn't need all the makeup and I was still wearing all the makeup. This thought cut deep. It forced me to evaluate my words and actions. Truthfully, they weren't aligning in this category. I wasn't being confident in my own skin by dismissing her words. I wasn't being confident in my own skin by mimicking makeup trends that did not suit me. Makeup is beautiful and I like it but it wasn't doing me any favors. I was morphing into other people and it needed to be addressed. Raising a daughter forced me to acknowledge and deal with my insecurities. My daughter saw my true beauty. She was encouraging me to embrace myself and as her mother, I needed to seriously consider the depth of her words.

I embrace the less is more approach these days. It was an adjustment, I admit. I slowly let go of a lot of makeup, both on my face and on my vanity. As her mother, I'm her primary example. How I nurture my mind and body is important. How I speak about myself and how I speak to myself are equally important. Be mindful to self shaming around your children. Judging your body and looks is self-sabotage. They hear and see it all.

Sometimes life's greatest lessons come from the voices of our children. Thanks to my girl for calling me out and reminding me to be me, just as I am.

Be kind to yourself,

Xx Dee

---