A Love Rekindled

My Mom and I have a lot of things is common, but one of the things that we bond over the most is shopping. We've always had a great time trekking through the mall and browsing our favorite clothing stores. My Mom has always been my faithful shopping sidekick, grabbing things that might look good, picking coordinating pieces, running to get another size/color, and most importantly, telling me whether or not things looked good on me. When I was thin, there was rarely an issue when it came to trying on clothes. I knew which styles and sizes were best for me and Mom rarely had a critical remark. I loved shopping for clothes because I could always find something I liked. 

However, as slowly gained weight, I found myself liking clothes shopping less and less. I was hearing my mother say thing like "You're going to need the next size up" or "That's not very flattering" more and more frequently and I would be lying if I said that it didn't break my spirit. I wasn't upset that my Mom was criticizing me, she was just being honest. I was upset that the additional weight I had gained had begun to hinder me and took joy out of simple things that I loved to do. I would snap at my mother for her comments and leave stores angry because I had to buy yet another size larger. My usual size 6 had become a size 10, and then suddenly a 12. That was when I knew I needed to make a change. 

3 months and nearly 20 lbs later, I've got my love of shopping back. Today my Mom and I were able to spend the day together shopping, laughing and most importantly enjoying each others' company. She didn't have to make critical remarks, and I didn't have to snap at her because of my insecurity. I had been waiting until this point (my halfway point) to buy clothes because most of my old stuff is too big. I can't wait to reach goal so I can go shopping again and share that special moment with my Mom.