Sling Diaries: Perception

For most of my life I lived in fear of people's perception of me. Anxious about what others would think about my every move. Afraid of making a fool of myself. As I grew up, my identity shifted from others' perception of me to the reality of who I am. I'm loved, chosen, and valued. I am free to be who I was created to be. Not constrained by fear or reputation.

I place great importance on this in my motherhood journey. I want my children to know freedom because they have seen it modeled by their mother. I pray they'll live their own lives confident in who they were created to be and separated from a stranger's perception of who they are.

My husband and I practice this in little ways with our crew. We try to embrace the costume wearing. We say yes to piling on all the accessories. We join in the dance parties and encourage the puddle jumping. The truth is, at age 5 and under, they're too young to recognize another's perception of their choices. But we believe that championing their uniqueness and creativity only breeds more of it. And if they grow into adults unwavering and confident in who they are, it's because they were loved to their very cores and unbothered by what others thought.