I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Parenting is a tough gig.

My husband and I have talked with our teenagers extensively about sex, drugs, peer pressure and sexting. But photo manipulation, specifically digital body sculpting? Well that’s a conversation we’d never anticipated having with our teens. That is, until a cleverly placed advertisement at the mall caught my 13-year old daughter’s eye.

“Mom, what’s ‘digital body sculpting’? This photography studio says they offer it with their senior portrait package.”

Digital body sculpting? Over my dead body.

The Low-Down on Photo Manipulation and Digital Body Sculpting

In short, “photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception (in contrast to mere enhancement or correction).” Digital body sculpting is a type of photo manipulation in which an image editing software tool is used to push, pull and smooth out objects in a digital photo; manipulating it until a desirable effect is achieved. For instance, bulges are masterfully contoured to create a slimming effect. Cellulite and stretchmarks are smoothed out and banished for good. And breasts are digitally enlarged, thereby rendering the Miracle Bra obsolete.

Digital body sculpting goes beyond enhancing one’s pearly white smile and airbrushing pesky pimples. It’s a type of photo manipulation that deceives folks into believing that the photographed subject is in fact represented in a true light.

If that’s not deceitful, I don’t know what is.

The Dirty Truth: They’ve Been Deceived

Images of unrealistic and unattainable beauty are everywhere. Don’t believe me? Check out the magazine rack at your local grocery store. Models and celebrities are plastered on magazine covers across the globe; their digitally manipulated visages sold as the golden standard, or measuring stick of beauty to our impressionable youth.

Our teens have been deceived; conditioned to believe that beauty comes in a 5’10″, 107-pound package sans pimples, stretchmarks and cellulite. The dirty truth is this ideal image of beauty they’ve been force-fed is nothing but smoke and mirrors. An illusion courtesy of digital manipulation.

Beauty Can’t Be Digitally Manipulated

As a parent it scares me to think that during such an impressionable and pivotal time in our teens’ physical, social and emotional development, they’re bombarded with unrealistic images of beauty in the media. That they’re disillusioned into believing that beauty fits in a perfect little box – one that has no room for wrinkles, acne, stretchmarks or cellulite.

The truth is, beauty can’t fit into a little box; its edges are blurred and undefined. It can’t be manufactured, airbrushed or digitally manipulated. And it certainly isn’t available for purchase.

Digital body sculpting? Over my dead body.

I’d love to hear how you feel about photo manipulation in the media and its effect on teens’ perception of beauty.

As the scent of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg fill our home, a feeling of warmth washes over me.

While Christmas evokes feelings of joy and anticipation, Thanksgiving fills my heart with a sense of gratitude and an overwhelming longing for tradition. Traditions are the stuff that memorable childhoods are made of and I’m hellbent on creating memorable family traditions for my children to look back on someday.

As we enjoy our Thanksgiving meal, we’ll continue our family tradition of sharing 3 things we’re each thankful for this year. It’s a tradition that I look forward to and one that I cherish. The sweet (and sometimes funny) things my children have expressed gratitude for over the years have served as confirmation that maybe I really am doing something right. That maybe I’m not ruining them. That I’m not a bad mom after all.

And that they really are good kids.

I’m so thankful to have them in my life and I can’t imagine what I would’ve become or where I’d be right now if I weren’t a mother. My children make me laugh and sometimes they make me cry, but there’s no doubt in my mind or my heart that they’ve made me happier than I ever could have dreamed. I am so incredibly blessed and unbelievably grateful for my 4 children – Amaya, Andre, Alana and Alyssa.

My husband and I have been married for nearly 3 years now. He’s my lover and my best friend. His honesty and faithfulness are unwavering and his love for our family know no limits. He is God’s answer to my prayers – the strong, kind man I waited years for. He fell head-over-heels in love with this once-single mother and her 3 children, and the feeling was mutual. Our lives haven’t been the same since.

For my wonderful husband and best friend, I am forever grateful.

And finally…

It’s one of the most basic needs we as humans require: Shelter

Over 671,000 people in the United States are homeless.

As I sit here in my comfortably heated home, I can’t help but feel unbelievably grateful that we have food, clothing and shelter. That our basic needs are provided for. That we are not part of the statistic.

Before you sit down to dinner with your family this Thanksgiving, won’t you join me by helping those in need? Donate to an organization like the National Alliance to End Homelessness or give of your time and talent to a local shelter. Every little bit counts and paying your blessings forward is incredibly fulfilling.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May your hearts and homes be filled with love and laughter always.

*In case you missed it: I’m giving thanks, bloggy style. Head on over to Our Mommyhood to check out my bloggy list of gratitude.

I live for beautiful sunrises and stunning sunsets. But sun-kissed faces drenched in the warmth of the Autumn sun leave me breathless.

Thanks for stopping by and linking up at Live and Love Out Loud. Looking for even more fabulous blogs to link up with? Be sure to stop by A Beautiful Mess, Parenting by Dummies, Dagmar’s Momsense and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Two ways to link up! Use this super fun thumbnail linky…

Or, the traditional text linky….

Welcome to Parenting 101, your go-to guide for super awesome, super simple and super effective parenting tips…courtesy of moi. Armed with 15 years of parenting experience and the stretch marks to prove it, I’m changing the world of motherhood – one parenting tip at a time.

Thanks to my ground-breaking article that emphasized the importance of never leaving your toddler unattended, 3,857 unsuspecting fathers were saved from death-by-tampon-ingestion at the hands of their curious toddlers.

Here’s what folks are saying:

Sherri: “I love that you provide this public service to people with toddlers. Otherwise, who knows what might happen?”
Tracy: “Where were you years ago when my kid was a toddler!”

The easy-to-follow tips, tricks and techniques here at Live and Love Out Loud are guaranteed to produce immediate results and take your parenting skills to the next level. The advice is free and your satisfaction is guaranteed.

You’re welcome.

Rule No. 2: Teach your toddler that mealtime manners are a must.

Teaching your toddler proper mealtime etiquette is a cinch. The following simple and easy-to-grasp concepts are a great place to start:

1.  Greet fellow dinner companions with a polite smile.

2.  Keep elbows off the table.

3.  Use utensils at all times.

4.  Nose-digging is a no-no.

Mealtime manners certainly are a must. With a little bit of instruction and a lot of patience, you’ll avoid mealtime disasters and extreme embarrassment in the company of guests.

Guaranteed.

Life just isn’t fair. Our world is littered with death and disappointment.

And sometimes, divorce and deadbeat dads.

Surviving divorce is tough on kids, but having a deadbeat dad makes the healing process exponentially worse. The roller coaster of emotions that children are subjected to at the hands of deadbeat dads is unacceptable and entirely unnecessary.

Despite the amazing relationship my 3 older children have with their step-dad, the pain of being rejected by their biological father is still there. The pain of being lied to repeatedly still rises to the surface.

Along with the tears.

Deadbeat Dad

(From the heart of my child…)

“He doesn’t take care of us.

He never calls.

I keep giving him chances, but he keeps breaking my heart.

He lies to me every.single.time.

He makes promises he can’t keep.

He keeps telling me “this time I’ll call more, this time I’ll do better.” And he never does.

He’s selfish.

He doesn’t care about me.

He says he loves me, but he doesn’t. He loves himself.

He’s a liar.

He pretends that he’ll come and see us, but he never does.

I’m tired of giving him chances.

I don’t want to see him anymore.

I’m tired of having my heart broken.”

……………………………….

I’m tired of picking up the pieces. I’m tired of wiping the tears. I’m tired of the pain my children have suffered at the hands of their Deadbeat Dad.

When will it end?