My daughter hasn’t quite hit the age of teenagers yet, but the teasing has already started. We females start very young at the art of torturing one another. This past week she came home from school in tears.

“So-and-so says my shoulders are fat.”

At first the momma-bear in me thinks about finding little miss so-and-so and giving her a piece of my mind, but I know a confrontation will not change so-and-so’s behavior. So I empower my daughter with knowledge instead. I put her in front of the mirror, and tell her to flex.

“See all those muscles? They come from all the laps you do on swim team. This might mean that your arms and shoulders are bigger than other girls, but it also means that you’re probably stronger. And stronger is good. You want your body to be strong enough to endure the many hard things that will be required of you throughout your life. So stop worrying about what other people think of you. It’s a wonderful freeing experience when you choose to live a life not defined by somebody else.”

I hope if I say it enough times over the next few years it’ll really sink in. #beproudofyourstrengths