Back When I Used to Be Pretty

babypicY’all, I turned 33 yesterday. I am pretty sure I woke up with at least six new wrinkles.

But I also woke up thinking about a recent chat I had. A couple of times per month I have a woman come in to help clean my house. I am thankful for help–Lord knows I need it. I am also thankful for the brutal honesty she brings with her.

One of the first times I met her, it was just her and I alone in my house. She looked at my wedding photo on the wall and then looked at me and said, “You used to be pretty.”

At first I was a taken aback. I mean, who says that?

How rude.

But you know what? She’s right. I used to be pretty.

I was naturally pretty from the time I was a little girl. Despite this, I was always horribly insecure. But being pretty was kind of my goal, or at least trying to be pretty (and thin) while spending a lot of time and energy on it.

Seven months ago I gave birth to my second child, a daughter. She doesn’t take her eyes off me. She is always watching. My influence on her life will be beyond my comprehension.

RELATED POST: WHAT TO SAY TO LITTLE GIRLS

How do I teach her to screw being pretty? I want her to have better goals

I am not “letting myself go” by any stretch of the imagination. But I am at the point in my life where I can go in one of two directions,

1. Get botox

or

2. Get new goals

Botox is expensive. So I am going to go with new goals.

Being pretty isn’t my goal these days. I want to be interesting. Healthy. Educated. Happy. Because those are the things I want to impress upon my children.
Birthdays are a great time for new goals. Have you done any priority reorganization lately? 

Denaye Barahona

Denaye Barahona is a loving wife and mama of two. She's a therapist for moms, an author, and the host of the top-ranked Simple Families Podcast. Denaye holds a Ph.D. in Child Development and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been featured on the likes of The Today Show, Netflix, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, Forbes, and numerous other media outlets.