Cohort 5 of I Have a Body! began last week. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve run the group, and I’ll be honest— I was nervous.
But once the group started I remembered: I love this!
I don’t like when first sessions only include get to know you games and group agreements, so I worked hard to integrate time for connection, level setting, intentions, fun, facts, embodied experiencing, and learning. If I do say myself… it’s a damn good session.
It’s also my first time running the group as a parent, and I’m excited to see how this shifts my experience of the material.
For example— in session one we do an activity where we guess how babies feel about bodies. (If you’ve been to any of my workshops, you’ve done this). In the past I would always say that babies probably feel neutral about fat, making the point that fatphobia is learned.
But this time I had to pause; because I’m not sure my baby (toddler, actually) does feels neutral about fat.
Image: the famous SNL "More Cowbell" sketch. My kid is to bellies as Christopher Walken is to cowbells
She loves bellies. She loves to show hers and regularly requests seeing others. And let’s not forget the bags of fat (aka breasts) that provide her favorite beverage. So while I can’t say for sure, I imagine that adds up to something more than “neutral” about fat.
Perhaps some of us were born with fat love, not just neutrality?
I wonder how else my perspective will shift as a parent (and also with this new cohort of awesome people!).
What do you think? How do the little ones in your life feel about bodies?
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