Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you so much on your advice to not act on every feeling one may have. I have struggled with my weight for most of my life (I am 30 and probably 20 pounds overweight). Yesterday, I was feeling fat, disgusting and worthless. I wanted to sit on the couch and eat ice cream and not move. However, since my 18 month old son was born, I found a way to overcome my bad feelings and enjoy the time I have with him. Whenever I feel fat and gross, I do the exact opposite of what I feel like doing. I grab our swim suits and take my little guy to our community pool. He loves to splash, kick and watch the older kids play. There are no supermodels at our pool, just ordinary people of all shapes and sizes trying to get some fitness in. It brings me joy to enable him to do these things. There were some moms and dads sitting on the pool deck, texting or reading and I felt sad for them. They were missing out on tons of fun. A good thing about going to the pool is I can't think about how fat my thighs are because if I don't focus on my toddler and what he needs, he could drown.  And I love watching all his cute moments.

As we were leaving the pool, we almost tripped over someone's prosthetic leg. The owner of the leg has not given up on enjoying life, even though she lost a leg. I felt humbled I was feeling so self-conscious that morning.

Thank you for inspiring moms to find the joy in every day. I would have missed out on a great day with my kiddo had I given into my feelings.

Laura