what the children's books don't mention 📚

What would you need to hear, feel, or see to be the fullest, brightest version of yourself today - as you are right now?

You've read plenty of stories and anecdotes of my joys watching my daughter blossom and grow...so it's probably no surprise to you that I have a library's worth of children's books 📚 emphasizing stories about the value of "being yourself."  

What you've probably seen less of are the specific stories of the friends, clients, and colleagues who experience strain and struggle because of messages, even from "loved ones", that they are not enough as they are...that they cannot or "should not" be themselves.  

To be honest, even after changing identifying information, these examples often feel so vulnerable that I rarely highlight them, and they are often glossed over in children's books, too.

But, if you are a person who relates to how hard it is to bring yourself fully into your relationships, work, and even family life, it's important for you to know that you are not alone.

I'm remembering with tenderness the struggles of...

• The bisexual female whose parents questioned how she knows she's not straight

• The father who wrestled to understand and connect with his son (who he had previously known as his daughter)

• The friend who fields constant questions from supervisors and managers about putting pronouns on her name tag.

• The Latina female who had to protect her identity at work even as she celebrated her marriage to the person she'd loved and been in a committed relationship with for decades.

I'm remembering the multiple clients whose family told them - in words or actions - that they were less lovable because of who they loved, how they looked, or their unwillingness to define themselves within a predetermined box.

I'm remembering...so many tears, sobs, heartbreaks, questions...so many internalizing that rejection...rather than being encouraged to "fully blossom as they were intended."

Even as we continue to grieve the tragic losses of life, we are offered another opportunity to honor the lives that can still be saved, protected, nurtured, and valued, just as they are. 

Including your own priceless self.

You matter.  You can make a difference.  And, I'm so thankful you're here.