When I left camp pick-up the other morning, I got a disturbing call from my husband.

“I forgot to tell you, while you were getting dressed, our daughter decided she didn’t want to wear a bikini because her friends at camp laughed at her belly button.”

“Wait, that’s why she changed swimsuits? And you let her? You should have told me sooner.”

“Next time, I forgot..”

I mean, he doesn’t understand the urgency of body image issues!

As soon as I hung up the phone, I knew camp pick-up would be damage control time.

Because she has a beautiful body, belly button included.

And someone is always going to say something--be laughing, eye-rolling, or judging her--so she has to wear what makes her feel good.

Because she will be too big for some and too small for others. But she has to be okay with who she is and know those aren’t her people and walk away.

I want her always to wear what she likes and what makes her feel good no matter what.

No matter her “chubby arms,”

“lanky legs,”

“wide thighs,”

or “oddly shaped birthmark.”

But gosh, what a weird world we live in where everyone, kids included, think they have the right to judge other people's bodies.

When she got home, I told her all of this.

And I hope this is the start of her not listening to anyone but herself.

So today, she went to camp rocking that bikini.

It was superhero day, and I forgot to dress her up in the rush of the morning.

“Oh no, I'm not a superhero," she said as she looked out the window at her dressed-up counselors.

“You actually are. Because you wearing a bikini shows such strength. You're totally a superhero."

Because she is.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId