Raising Resilience Daily

Some days, parenting in an online world feels overwhelming, like the ground keeps shifting under our kids’ feet faster than we can steady it.

Kids today are growing up in a world where people can hide behind keyboards, filters, and anonymous comments. A world where opinions are loud, consequences are quiet, and comparison is constant. And as a mom, that terrifies me more than I ever expected.

Because if I’m honest, my generation didn’t exactly escape unscathed either.

We grew up with magazines, diet culture, and the unspoken rule that smaller was better. I went on my first diet in 8th grade. Eighth. Grade. I didn’t even know who I was yet, but I already knew who I was supposed to be.

So when I saw a commercial today, one that hit a little too close to home, it brought me to tears. Not because it was sad, but because it reminded me how fragile this whole thing is. How quickly the world tries to tell our kids what they should look like, act like, or be like.

It brought me back to a couple weeks ago. My daughter said something about body image; and she used the words “fat” and “not fat.” Just… blunt. Innocent. But heavy.

My heart dropped.

Not because she meant anything cruel. Not because she was talking about herself. But because I could hear the world creeping in. The labels. The categories. The idea that bodies can be sorted into “good” and “bad.”

We sat down and had a long conversation; the kind that makes you realize how much your words matter as a parent. I told her it’s not about “fat” or “not fat.” It’s about what you fuel your body with. How you feel. How strong you are. How healthy you are. How you treat yourself. How you treat others.

I told her bodies aren’t moral. They’re not scorecards. They’re not something to rank. They’re home.

And I want her to love hers for what it allows her to do, not how it looks in a photo or how it compares to someone else’s.

But the truth is, I can’t shield her from everything. None of us can. The world is loud. The internet is louder. And kids today are navigating pressures we never had to face at their age. And no. She isn’t online yet. 

What I can do is keep talking. Keep listening. Keep reminding her that real life happens; in the messy, unfiltered, unedited moments where she’s laughing with her friends, running across a field, or dancing in the kitchen.

I can teach her that confidence isn’t built from likes, comments, or followers. It’s built from knowing who you are and what you value.

And I can hope, with every conversation, every reminder, every moment of connection, that she grows up seeing herself the way I see her:

Strong. Capable. Kind. Enough.

Always enough.

Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: The world will try to tell our kids who they should be. It’s our job to remind them who they already are.

Raising leaders, chasing goals, and occasionally losing my mind.