This mom’s viral post will inspire you to put on your swimsuit and get in the darn photo with your kids

If you’re like most women, the thought of putting on a swimsuit gives you anxiety. Instantly you start thinking about your cellulite, your belly pooch, your stretch marks, your nonexistent thigh gap. No wonder it has been found that simply thinking about trying on swimsuits can put women in a bad mood.

But here’s the thing: It’s really hard to avoid putting on a swimsuit once you have kids. From mom-and-tot swim lessons to beach vacations to backyard pool parties, kids love to play in the water … and they love for their parents to play with them. So, as much as moms might cringe as they don their swimwear, we do it for the kids. For the memories. For the fact that we want to teach them to have a healthy body image and self-confidence, even while we are privately wishing we had our pre-baby body.

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Australian blogger Kirsten Bosley knows that feeling all too well. In an inspiring Facebook post, which has now racked up almost 6,000 likes and been shared 360 times, Bosley talks about how she used to avoid being photographed with her children.

Bosley was so ashamed of her body and her size that she didn’t want to be in the pictures with her kids, whether they were having a having an ordinary day at home or were on vacation.

But then Bosley came across a meme that read: “Be in pictures with your kids because when you’re gone, the pictures will be all they have left.”

The simple meme struck a chord with Bosley. She suddenly realized that when her kids looked back at their childhood photographs, mom would be missing. She would be hiding. Running away from the flash. Covering up. She would not be present because she was afraid to let herself be seen, even by those who love her most in the world.

Well, the mom of two and gifted writer decided enough was enough. On her recent beach vacation she decided to BE in the pictures with her kids. Not just to pose awkwardly or to give a fake smile as she hid her “flaws,” but to really be present—in body and spirit.

And the result? Pure poetry.

Read the rest of her inspiring Facebook post below:

Hear hear! What a gorgeous photo and a happy family. And what an essential and beautiful message. Here’s to being in the photos with our loved ones, and to letting ourselves be seen.