Be You!

I found this sign at a local discount store. $10.00 spent and it was mine. I could not resist snatching it up. After months of being stashed under our couch to be hung later I decided to get it out. It now hangs in our family room. The absolute best place for such a sign. We welcome our family, friends, and guests with a plain statement that sums up our outlook. It's the perfect family motto. In times of distress I have looked upon it and felt how significant that simple sentence is for a growing family.

Being judged daily is difficult. Am I a good mother? Did I remember to be considerate of others? Have I respected my family and friends? Do I love enough? All things to consider just by reading this one sentence every day.

The other night we girls were sitting on the rug in the family room each doing something different. Olivia sitting to my right staring up towards the ceiling asked about that sign. Where did I find it, why did I hang it up, and why is it in the family room. Before answering her list of questions I had one for myself. I asked her how does that sign make her feel. I asked that she think about that a moment while I answered her questions.

She told me she likes it and just can't figure out why. Reading it out loud she finished by saying she was not quite sure what it meant. She knew it was good that it was something important but it just was not completely clear. That Dr. Seuss can be a bit tricky with his word play. So to make it easier I broke it down for her.

My explanation of this sentence ended up becoming a conversation about the beauty of confidently being yourself. The comfort of being secure in your quirks and opinions knowing that when you come home you will always be wrapped in love. We girls talked of how as you grow in age that more people will begin to see you in a judgmental way. How that judging can become difficult in the hands of rude people. So difficult at times that it will make you feel terrible about the you you have become. I wanted my girls to know that no matter how strange, weird, odd, etc, people say they are that when they walk in our door all Mom and Dad have to offer is absolute adoration and love. We love our girls for the beautiful gals they are and for the spectacular women they will become.

It's just that simple. One sentence. One significant sentence.

Thank you Dr. Seuss.