Today I’m letting you all peek behind the curtain…

My 3-year-old woke up next to me (he crawls into bed with us all the time). He rolls over and touches my face and says, “You know I love you?” followed next by “you’re so beautiful”. I smile and hug him good morning and reply that I love him more and he’s the most beautiful. He smiles and hugs me.

That right there, from the mouths of babes. Children only speak what they see. They see with their heart and they say what they think. As my little angel lay next to me appreciating that his mami was right next to him, cuddling in bed, my heart grew so big I thought it would burst.

Photo Credit: Cristina Rivera Beauty

It got me thinking. I wake up every morning and jump into the same routine. Brushing teeth, washing face, getting dressed, moisturize, and hit the kitchen to make us breakfast. I find time to do a quick 5-minute face and instantly feel better. My baby notices and says, “do you have makeup on?”. “yes” I reply and smile. He simply asks “why?”. And there I stood, smiling at him with a loss of words. I don’t want to tell him that I don’t feel as pretty without it, even if it is true. I don’t want to make him think that’s what true beauty is, a face with makeup. It’s a tough spot. So, I take a breath, sigh, and simply reply, “because I like it”.

The truth is, I do like it. I love it in fact. But another fact is that I don’t feel pretty without it. That is something I’m working on. I don’t know how many of you feel the same way as I do, I would think I’m not alone. To those that are in my same way of thinking, why do you think that is? I mean, I can’t even pinpoint when I started feeling that way. With the movement going on around us empowering women, inclusion of all shapes and sizes and even the trend of the no makeup selfies, I would like to think that most women are feeling secure and beautiful just as they are.

So, here’s to seeing myself as my sweet little toddler sees me. Just as I am. Here’s to all of you seeing your reflections with your heart instead of your eyes. So, to all of us, I just want to say, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.