We had my nieces over for Thanksgiving, my oldest brother's two beautiful little girls. The oldest just turned thirteen, which everyone knows is a lovely age for self esteem. Just seeing her walk around hiding behind her hair and holding her arms around herself reminded me so much of that age, when you don't understand your body yet. That age when you're so awkward that it actually hurts. You feel like your skin fits wrong and your insides are just going to be exposed at any second.

All I could tell her, and I'm not sure if she listened, was that eventually, you're going to grow to be comfortable in your body, but you have to work for it. You might still despise your hips or think your boobs are weird or your butt is too big, but you it's your body, and you can't live like the awkward, scared thirteen year old who flinches every time someone tells her she looks nice.

If you won't let yourself move out of that stage, you can't ever really grow.