Blog every day in May: a piece of advice

They say that going through some negative things in life only make you stronger. A situation that I dealt with as a child, teenager and young adult has certainly shaped the person who I am today and showed me a side of people that I do not ever want to include myself in.

I was stereotyped and judged by the way that I dressed by a group of moms. I was a child and they were grown women spending their days gossiping about me and judging me by my clothing. I was labeled an anorexic, drug addict and drug dealer. Funny thing, I was never the girl who was on drugs. They should have worried about their own kids instead of not allowing their children to hang out with me. I was the mothering type. I took care of everyone. I was a good influence. 

My piece of advice: do not stereotype or judge

I grew up in a very free spirited family. My dad traveled the world with his band in the early 70's, returned to Chicago and was a big shot nightclub DJ in the disco era before opening up his very own club Park West in Lincoln Park in 1977. My mom modeled and hosted and our parents lived a very fun, exciting adventurous life. My brother and I were disco babies. Along with his music career, my dad is a sailor and a yacht captain. I was a mix of Punky Brewster and Pippy longstocking. 

My dad took me to a lot of really interesting places. After a day out sailing, my dad would take me across Lakeshore Drive to the Grateful Dead parking lot when the Dead where in town. I loved the happiness, the free spirits, the love, the music and all of the colors. I had hair all the way down my back, wraps in my hair, hemp necklaces, tie dyed everything and long gypsy skirts. I wore patchouli and other oils, pierced my eyebrow and was obsessed with butterflies. Didn't mean that I was on drugs. If any of these women sat down to have a conversation with me for 5 minutes they would have known that I was not what they made me out to be. 

Now, I am a mother. I have a beautiful, free spirited baby girl who is already very eclectic and has a style all her own. I will never judge her or her friends based on the clothes that they wear among other things.