I've been reading Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein. I am not exactly sure what I think about it; I connect with it on some levels and scratch my head on others. Last night as I lounged on my bed reading, I came across this sentence on page 86, "I am hardly one to judge other mothers' choices: my own behavior has been hypocritical, inconsistent, even reactionary."
That sentiment rang true for me. I've been all of those things, too. Before I plowed on in my reading, I pondered what it would look like if I changed that sentence around. What if it said, "Be nonjudgmental. Be consistent. Be responsive."? Good advice for mothers, good advice for people.
So today I am posting those thoughts. I aspire to speak and act thoughtfully when I'm with my daughter, my students, my husband, my friends, my family, and the world at large. Thinking about how I want to be will help me practice actually being that way. And that's the first step in being our best selves.
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