Be comfortable with how you look.
Most people may be surprised to know I have a birthmark on my right leg. A rather large birthmark - it starts at my toes and runs the full length of my leg. I will always remember what my mother told me as a little boy - that she wasn’t going to force me to wear pants all the time in an effort to hide my leg. She wanted me to feel comfortable, and if I wanted to wear shorts during the warm seasons, she wanted to encourage me to do so.
Now, you may have heard the phrase “children can be cruel”. Well, they can be. Some of them at least. When the weather started getting warmer, I’d start wearing shorts to school, and it seemed like there was always at least one or two kids that’d look at me differently when they noticed my birthmark...some even treated me differently (picked on me).
I didn’t let that stop me from wearing shorts though. I was comfortable with how I looked, and wasn’t going to let a couple cruel kids keep me from feeling that way.
Now, do I regret being picked on because of my birthmark? Truth be told, though I would have preferred not to deal with the negative remarks while growing up, I feel fortunate now, because I believe it helped me develop a deeper appreciation for others and what they may be going through in their own lives. I don’t think I’d be who I am today.
That doesn’t excuse the cruel kids’ behavior, though.
So be comfortable with how you look, and always encourage others to feel the same way about themselves. ❤
