The day my 6 year old dressed up as her mum

So…it’s world book day today.

The day where social media comes alive with photos of our little cherubs dressed in anything from their favourite Disney characters, to homemade creations worthy of an Oscar for best costume award.

Love it of loathe it, it has become a thing.

Last year my daughter went dressed up as Arial from the Little Mermaid, the year before she went as Mary from the Bible (all her idea) and this year???

This year she went as me.

I asked her a few weeks ago what she wanted to go as and she said “you mummy, you are in a book” and I laughed it off. I thought she would give it some more thought and come up with a better idea.

And then I forgot all about it…that was until Tuesday morning when she said “Its world book day mum” literally 2 minutes before we were due to head out the door.

Whaaattttt? no it’s Thursday

A quick look at the school calender and she was right, her school were celebrating earlier.

So what do you want to go as?

I shouted while rummaging through her dressing up box…I really did not want us to be late fart arsing around with costumes.

You mum I want to go as you…I just need my running kit, your headband, a medal and one of your books…because none of my friends believe my Mum writes books.

So we quickly pieced the costumer together and rushed to school, just making the 8.30 gates closing.

On the way home I posted a photo of her on my social media, I thought it was a funny story of the reality of being a parent these days, having to think on your feet, be creative, come up with stuff at the last moment. The Friday before same thing happened, 8am in the morning and she tells me she has to go to school dressed as an endangered animal…bumble costume from when she was 3 it was ha ha.

But something happened throughout the day as I saw the response to my post on social.

Comments like,

She must be so proud of you

And

What a role model

I always brush these comments off, its weird going around saying such things about yourself. And deep down we all want our kids to be proud of us right?

But it did make me stop and think about how far I have come.

Things changed when my daughter was born. I realised what a responsibility it was to raise a girl in this world. I didn’t want her growing up with all the insecurities I had as a kid, all the feelings of not being enough, not being heard.

I was determinde to get back into exercise when she was still quite young becuase I knew what a positive imapct it would have on my mental health and my ability to be the best mum I could be.

But also, I didn’t want her growing up thinking that exercise was weird, a strange thing that other people did, slim, physically fit looking people. I didn’t want her to think the only reason mummy owrks out is to lose weight to be smaller.

I exercise to live a bigger life, to live a longer life, to live a more fullfilling life.

The fact we are able to do sport and be active together gives me so much pleasure. Ok so she moans most of the way round parkrun most of the time, and sometimes I have to prize her off technology to go off on an adventure…but she knows exercise is just something mummy does.

Kids watch us.

They watch our behaviours, they understand our attitudes to things, if they see us thinking like exercise is a chore, or hear us moan about coming last or being slow, they will think that unless they can be the best its not worth trying either.

Mums have so much power (even if they don’t think so)

In 2014 when my daughter Rose was still just a toddler I wrote a book about being a mum who wanted to exercise called How to Run with a Baby. I didn’t ever want to run out of ideas or motivation, so I wrote not only about running with a baby…but how you integrate fitness into your life as a mum no matter how old your kids are.

The book has not had the success that some of my other books have, but I am super proud of it nevertheless and its only £1.99 on kindle….you can check out my other more popular ones on their too while your there.

Keep being amazing all you mums out there…with every run you go on, every yoga video you do at home, you are showing your children (girls and boys) that sport is a powerful tool for a healthier, happier life.

Happy World Book Day…oh and happy International Womens day for tomorrow xxx

PS. I asked my daughter how many books she thought I had sold, her response?

“Erm 80???”

Ha ha. Its probably closer to 8000 but hey…she doesn’t care.

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