Can I be this little girl when I grow up?

Wow - the most incredible, inspiring reader mail has been pouring in lately - and this one included a video (hey now!) It's from reader Sonn, who many of you may recognize for her uplifting and insightful comments. Sonn shot this video of her adorbs daughter Amy, age four, in June at a county fair. There's no sound, so imagine surfer beach/steel drum music playing.

What happened, according to Sonn: "Amy heard the music and just started dancing like crazy. And people started to stand around and watch, and she just danced all the more. Totally non-self conscious. I *love* how she slows down in the middle of her dance to chow on a giant chocolate dipped ice cream bar she is eating. Now THAT, to me, is total success over cultural pressure. She is out in public, strangers are looking at her. Her thighs are showing. She is eating fattening, sugary food. And she is dancing and moving and enjoying her body without restraint, and she is LOVING it. The smile at the end just moves me."

Me, too, Sonn. I just KNOW anyone who watches this will melt.

Why don't we all leave a message for Amy? Clearly she's more into running around in a sprinkler or having a summer sleepover right now and not tied down to a computer, but I bet her mom will, one day, relay our sentiments. Mine?

Amy, I remember dancing like this - with total freedom, no reason to be self-conscious, just grooving to the music and moving any which way by body told me. Ice cream was so important back then becuse it tastes so damn good and I never even contemplated what a calorie was before licking the chocolatey coating 'til it melted away, revealing the cool, creamy treat. If people were watching me, so much the better. Because I rocked. And so do you.

Comments

Oh, I do that exact thing ALL THE TIME!

That was totally awesome!

Amy--sweetie, don't ever change!

LOVE it. Thanks so much for sharing it Sonn! Its so nice to see a little girl acting like a little girl should- well really, like we ALL should!

Amy, THIS is what makes you cool. Trust me. Not what TV commercials tell you is cool. Not what your friends think is cool, because they're just kids and what do they know anyway? Listen to us. We may be old and someday you'll think we don't know what we're talking about, but be bold and take a leap and trust that we do. This video is what makes you cool. The unabashed liberty of your spirit. The complete apathy to what other people are thinking. The unrestrained joy you're taking in your body and your food. It's the relaxation with yourself and your surroundings that makes you powerful, baby! Don't be afraid to enjoy what you eat, because it's only when you think about it too much that you get into trouble. Listen to your body. Always retain your joy of movement, and you'll always move as much as you need to. And P.S., any famous person worth their salt embraced THIS spirit and THAT'S what made the world fall in love with them. Never change, baby.

Your friend,
Kim

Does anybody else see a new dance craze in the making? Seriously, those are some slick moves - it's like the Robot but for the 21st century. This girl is actually my new idol.

TA x

...and this is why I LOVE teaching 3 and 4 year old children. Joyful, uninhibited, spontaneous and just embracing the moment of pure fun and happiness--and -yum- ice cream.

Amy, my hope for you is that you never lose touch with the side of yourself that your showed the world with your dancing. When adolescence hits and self-consciousness sets in, I hope that you remember that you are strong enough to resist the urge to master the art of self-deprication along side of your peers. You are beautiful and unique, and, like the other Kim said, that is why you are cool. Never listen to anybody who tries to tell you differently. Embrace who you are and never let go.

Aw, thanks Leslie and everyone else so much! SHe is fabulous. Coming from a family of women with ED, and being a super-size mom, I worry a lot about raising my daughters with some sort of decent body image. And while I work hard on being accepting and loving towards my own body, I admit there are days when I feel like all that matters about me is the number on a scale. Like that's the sum total of my value of a human being, period. Amy is a GREAT reminder for me of what being comfortable in your own skin looks and feels like, what being a girl really should be. I'm a lucky mom!

Thanks!

Amy-
I see little girls like you all the time. I'm a swim coach (kids 5-18) and the little ones ALWAYS walk run out of the locker room with their bellies stuck out far and a grin plastered on their faces. And although I remember being that girl, I'm now 14 years older and peak around to see who is watching before I wiggle my shirt off and lay out in my suit.

You and the other little girls I see every day, don't care who is watching, or what they think. They care that they get to splash in the pool, rain or shine. And like you show when you dance with your ice cream, nothing matters except that you're happy and having fun.

(I'll try to remember that next time I disrobe at the pool :) )

sonn, you have one adorable and beautiful little girl!
thanks for sharing her fabulous dancing with us!

Dear Amy,
You are a fantastic dancer. You are beautiful and talented and funny. The world will try and convince you otherwise but don't you dare listen. Listen to the part of you that just loves the music so much you can't help but move to it. Listen to the applause of your loving mother. Listen to all of us cheering you on. Listen to the truth that your heart beats. And, please dear Amy, if nothing else - remember this day with your mother and the sun and the ice cream.

Thanks so much for sharing her with us Sonn!!

That is precious. Amy, I hope you never lose that sense of being un-self-conscious. But if it does someday slip away, just know that you can get it back and dance again -- it's all about what YOU see when you look in the mirror...and I hope you always see a dancer.

Amy, always keep dancing! I hope you hold on to that joy and love of life and sheer unconcern for what anyone else might think...because the bottom line is, not only does it not matter what they think, but when they see you dancing like that, they won't be able to help but love you. You are beautiful - never forget that, and never hesitate to let that joy shine for all the world to see.

And thank you deeply - Amy, Sonn, and Leslie - for this reminder of the little girl in us all. Why DON'T we dance like that? Really? I'm going to make it a point to do that, soon, and I don't care what kind of looks I get. There may even be ice cream involved. :-)

V.

Yes! We should look in the mirror every morning when we wake up, smile to the person in the mirror and tell her "I am FabulouS / I Rock / I am Hot / I am Amazing " :)

made my day!!

You are a fantastic dancer. You are beautiful and talented and funny. The world will try and convince you otherwise but don't you dare listen. Listen to the part of you that just loves the music so much you can't help but move to it.