A LETTER TO MY CHILDREN | BE KIND ALWAYS

*This blog post is an entry for the epaderm brand ambassador competition, the images are my own and this is not a paid partnership unless the competition is won. I am not obliged to share this post, this is an entry by myself. All words and photos are my own and the post is written from the heart and something I truly am passionate about and not sponsored by epaderm.* 

Dear Lucas, Iris and Rufus,

Over the years I've wrote letters to you on your birthdays, milestones, during pregnancy and just when I felt like it so today, here I am writing a letter to you about embracing the skin you're in. 

Something I don't like about myself is my skin, I have severe mask'ne going on at the moment, that's when you have to wear a surgical facemask all day at work and it makes you sweaty and horrible and makes your skin break out in acne and it's very sore but this is likely a temporary situation whilst we all have to do our bit for the country and not something I'll deal with forever but sometimes we have problems with our skin that we don't really know why we suffer with it and it's likely going to be something we have to live with forever and just like mummy and her mask'ne I want to know you'll embrace it, accept it and try to live and love with it. 

Iris, you're a pretty lucky girl, you have lovely soft skin with no real problems with it at the moment, one day you might get acne, you'll definitely get spots, that's called hormones and sadly, you really do have to learn to live with them, hormones are why mummy gets very grumpy sometimes, you can't really help it and it's a bit annoying. Fun fact though, one day you can be super grumpy because a boyfriend/girlfriend has annoyed you and you can blame it on hormones and they can't be mad... try it one day, it's a free pass to be grumpy, just don't overuse it. You take good care of yourself even though you're only four and that's really cool. You're always washing your hands, which is really good, especially with the virus lurking, stay alert with that one, and you love cream, you love applying cream. Sometimes you love applying cream a little too much, so much so that I end up with a tube and a half smothered on my arms for my sores... which are usually just my freckles, but you're too cute to tell you that. You love applying cream to your baby Brother, Rufus too. He actually needs cream and he's very lucky to have help from his big Sister. 

My advice to you whilst you're growing up and turning from a little Iris, to a tween Iris, to a teenage Iris, to a grown up Iris, is please love yourself and the skin you're in because you truly are special and precious and beautiful and no one can tell you any different be fierce m'girl! BE FIERCE. 

To my boys, Rufus and Lucas, I'm writing to you together because you're both in the same category, the eczema category, you get sore, dry and scale like skin, especially in the Winter. You're both pretty lucky because in Summer you don't really suffer, probably the warmer temperatures, the suncream that's lathered on you and the sun is kissing your skin nicely and you two tan beautifully in factor 50 so don't you ever go getting burned, look after your skin, you're lucky, unlike your Sister who's going to be embracing the pale, ginger genes she was blessed with. You two both have fragile little skin and are very lucky that you both love being bathed, creamed and super snuggled without fights. Your skin is perfect, it just needs some extra moisture absorbed in the colder months to help it stay smooth like a baby's bottom, just not as stinky; please boys.

Lucas this ones for you, you have an extra special mark on your skin, you have a strawberry birth mark on your tummy which is yet to go away, and probably won't. It's faded over the years and it's got a little smaller but it's most likely going to be with you forever and do you know what? I love that about you. It makes you, you. It's special and it marks you as unique. So please, never feel ashamed of it because not everyone has one because not everyone is the same and that makes you different and it's perfect. 

Talking of perfect and taking about accepting the skin you're in and loving the skin you're in, lets talk about other peoples skins. Skin comes in all different shades, different tones and have different markings, why? Because everyone is unique and special. No one is more superior than anyone else and we're all the same no matter what are markings. You might meet someone with marks on their faces like Mummy, but it's not caused by wearing a mask and being too hot and sweaty in one, it could be it's a birth mark, like yours Lucas or psoriasis or eczema or even a burn and guess what? Those people are beautiful, because they're unique and special like the entire rest of the population. Everyones skin is different and you should be loved, accepted and respected for yours and the skin you're in and so should they. 

All I've ever asked and wanted from you when it comes to life is to be kind, be non-judgemental, be accepting and love hard. This goes for everyone, I have never cared if you're top of the class, super intelligent or the best dancer, as long as your kind and well mannered to others around you that's truly all I can for. This also goes for yourself though, I want you to be kind, non-judgemental, accepting and love YOURSELVES hard too. We're all born into our skins for a reason, we all have a different story to tell and we're all unique and beautiful in our own way. So the only advice I'll ever give you is that above and as long as you treat every human being with respect, dignity, kindess and with manners I know I'll have done a top job in raising you. You're already excelling in all those things already so keep it up and don't be swayed, even when you feel it's hard to say no, or you feel pressured, remember the words, be kind always and don't follow the crowds who think tearing people down for their appearance, they're skin conditions, their skin colour, their beliefs and values, their personality or their dress sense because those people aren't kind. I'm proud of you and your idealisations to be fierce and change the world. You go kids. Mama's proud. 

Anyway, Love the skin you're in, keep smothering yourself in epaderm and making me have the cutest photos for your memories and be kind always. 

Love Mummy