Stone Fox Bride

Dear any Man On This Feed, If you see my daughters during the holidays, do not: ruffle their hair. Do not pick them up and swing them over your head. Do not pick them up, period. Do not tickle them. Do not stick your fingers into their stomach and tell them they're pretty. Do not tell them they're pretty, period. Do not tell them you like their dress. Do not comment on their appearance, period. Do not mention princesses. Do not comment on how much food they're eating. It's possible, Man On This Feed, that your intentions come from a kind place. You were told that telling a little girl she is pretty and picking her up is just what men do. Guess what: it's not. Every time I see you touch my daughters at a holiday party, I sit them down at home afterwards say: "did your body feel comfortable when that man you didn't know poked you in your sides?" I say: "did it give you a creepy vibe when that man you never met touched your cheek and said you looked like a little dolly?" I say: "NO man who you don't know should ever touch you and if they do and it’s creepy I want you to say 'DON'T TOUCH ME I DON'T LIKE THAT' in a big strong voice like Simba's Daddy (sadly I cannot think of a female Disney character who has a bold voice) and walk away." Here is what IS okay to say to my daughters, Man On This Feed: "Hi, nice to meet you, can I give you a fist bump or a high five?" Ask them what they're reading in school. Ask what movies they’ve seen. Help me help my daughters understand that their bodies belong to them, and no one else. Help me teach my daughters to speak up and out should someone ever threaten the skin they're in. No one did this with me when I was a little girl; I had to learn the hard way. Oh the stories I could tell you — don't make me. #stonefoxmama