if not me...
If not us, then who If not me and you Right now, it’s time for us to do something If not now, then when Will we see an end To all this pain It’s not enough to do nothing It’s time for us to do something ~ Matthew West
It is 1995 and a boy sits alone at the lunch table. He's skinny and quiet, wearing a tattered Polo shirt. His name is Don. He typically roams the halls during lunch to avoid scenes like this, but today he is starved... So he eats, dodging occasional cheeto bullets from the next table. It is Friday so pep rally excitement fills the air. Don stares at his food, likely battling an internal voice yelling GET UP! RUN AWAY! And perhaps the voice almost wins. He's picking up his half-eaten tray when a cheerleader takes the seat beside him. She glares at her friends who sheepishly put their chips away as she starts a conversation. His behavior is often odd, to be sure, but he means no harm (years later he will be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome). The bell rings and she rises to leave. He flashes a cautious smile and holds his head a little higher. They don't become best friends or eat together every day, but this is the last time he will feel humiliated and alone in the cafeteria. A line has been drawn in the sand, and a light cast on mean behavior that will no longer be glorified or tolerated. One girl, one small act of courage and kindness changes everything.
What did her parents do? Why, in the midst so much wrong, did she choose RIGHT? And how can we grow little humans who will become assets to humanity? Bullying, my friends, is alive and well... And not isolated to children. Social media has exacerbated the problem, allowing people to abuse one another behind the relative safety of their computers. And, good people, fearing they might be the next victim of widespread attacks, are unwilling to defend or protect the wronged. Like wildfire, negative news spreads, lies become truth, and wrongdoing is praised and passed on. Yikes. Thought it was hard being a kid in 1995? Good luck to our children if we don't make a stand now. We started Well Dressed Wolf with little more than a dream, a few sketches and our innocence. Somehow, little by little, our baby company started growing... and in just a few years has become something we never imagined. Along the way we have made friends (so many friends!). We've gained wisdom, honed our craft, learned valuable (sometimes costly!) lessons in business, and watched women come together for the good of each other and the world. We've celebrated babies being born and literally watched children grow up through pictures (wearing WDW!). In the early days, we jumped right into social media, joining the many groups that popped up in our name. Having never been involved in the underground world of children's clothing, it was a rush! Interacting with customers on such a personal level was thrilling and gratifying... Until it wasn't. Recently, we have stepped away from all groups (most of which are lovely places full of wonderful women!) because it was necessary. We didn't start this business to referee or participate in sparring factions of clothing lovers and buyers and sellers. We aren't politicians and have no desire to be. Our daily posts shouldn't be planned like a State of the Union address-- each word measured and monitored for potential hidden meaning or intention. We started this journey because we LOVE to design adorable things for your children and we LOVE getting to know so many good people who have rallied around our brand (and there are so many good people). In fact, a positive and inspiring community group will soon be launched exclusively for friends of Well Dressed Wolf. We hope you'll take part! We plan to pop in periodically and you'll get sneaks, make supportive friendships, take part in giveaways and have opportunities to help make the world a BETTER PLACE. It really is time to make social media a more positive experience again- for our children; for ourselves. Adults bullying one another and harassing businesses should never be okay.
As we tell our own children, you have CHOICES every day: seek darkness or seek light. Make a positive impact on the world or a negative one. Seek to inspire or to destroy. Do what you know is right- even when it isn't "cool". Don't seek revenge (no matter how much you want to!) and pray for the people who hurt you (this one is a toughie!). You aren't perfect and you'll make mistakes, so learn to apologize and forgive. Be honest, but be kind. Truth doesn't have to hurt... THESE are goals for our own lives (and business), and though we sometimes fall short, we are confident in the path we've chosen.
You're living the one and only life that God has gifted you, so make it count.
Love,
Sarah and Shannon
On that note, let's celebrate being good today. We have some sweet giveaways and links to happy places below:
- Our mantra for the day is BE A NICE HUMAN! And guess what? Our dear friend launched a company built to inspire just that! Our new favorite tank reminds everyone we meet to behave nicely in a modern, graphically pleasing font (bonus!). Danielle has generously offered a shirt, bag, candle and bracelet to one lucky person! Sidenote: you'll want to buy some for everyone you know, so here is their facebook page (where they happen to be hosting a giveaway of their own, so go check it out!).
- We are all works-in-progress. The Finishing School is a book we genuinely look forward to delving into! Several of our friends have also purchased the pre-order and we plan to work through the chapters together, encouraging one another along the way. Valerie of Val Marie Papers has generously offered a book for one of you!
- This little cardi/vest/sweater is the most versatile thing our my closets (yes, we both have one!). Dress it up, dress it down... Wear it as a long sleeveless vest or long-sleeved cozy cardi. Add a tank, skinnies & boots - and you're ready to hit the streets and make good things happen. One lucky winner will receive this beauty, but keep your eye on Buckle for restocks or similar items!
- Luxe by Virtue is a good friend's jewelry line. Tracy's pieces are stunning and available only through boutiques and high end retailers... and here for one lucky person! This brand stands for all of the things we love: goodness, righteousness, integrity, dignity, honor, nobility, purity and worthiness (a portion of all proceeds go to Giving Hope NOLA, dedicated to feeding needy elderly in New Orleans). We are so excited to share these pieces with one of you. You can see more of her glistening beauties by following her Instagram and you can purchase online at Shop Bella Vita.
First of all, I feel like I need to teach my daughters that I am no expert at anything. I am human, and so are they. I make mistakes, and so will they.
Today I turned 38 years old. They say age brings wisdom, but to me age just brings experience. I still feel like someone’s child. I still feel vulnerable, and I definitely have many more faults than I would like to have.
I want my daughters to have a strong foundation. Love everyone. Respect everyone. Love God, however they choose to do so. Most of all, I want them to love and respect themselves and to never let anyone belittle them or take away their dignity.
I know that at some point in their lives my children will hate me. That doesn’t mean they won’t love me, as only indifference is the true absence of love. But, I hope at the end of the day my children remember that they are loved and they are my world. They make every day worth living.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” Philippians 1:9-10
We raise our kids to be kind, courageous, and loving people by showing them all lives on earth are sensible beings. When we were first introduced to the idea of animals have souls and feelings, we share the truth with our then 2 and 4 year old daughters. In the past years, we have been advocates for animals. My children are respectful because they see animals as equal and not things for us to eat, wear, or entertain. They are making the choice to speak against circuses involving wild animals- they are courageous. Our road is lonely but leads to a peaceful lifestyle. This is how we grow as a family to be kind. We are kind to earthlings and by eating healthy, we are kind to our bodies.
Since I was bullied by my cousin growing up, I first hand understand how it can break someone and it began as a young 3 yr old (the age of Harper all through the age of 14, until we moved to a different state, thank goodness). I realized once I moved nothing was even wrong with me that he said was and my life was so full and awesome!! I still have a hard time that our families didn’t step in more, but he was a bully, so Idk. Anyway, I can only teach Harper that you show everyone with respect and she does say yes ma’am no sir etc. She has started to notice (just this morning actually) a man rumbling through our trash as it sat outside looking for bottles and cans, which I told Harper he was just a nice man and I asked her if she would like to ask him if he wanted something to eat or drink. He was so beside himself I was allowing my young daughter to talk to him! He was so grateful and he did take a bottle water and an energy bar. I must sideline and say he was not cracked out or anything. Anyway, I just tell her to love herself and she is so smart and so gorgeous and everytime she accomplishes a new task we make a huge ordeal about how amazing it is so she knows how amazing SHE is not just how GORGEOUS she is!! Lots of hugs and kisses always! LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Unconditional and constant LOVE!
Don’t each revenge, teach the children how to use kind words to refuse bullying. Say: "Please stop, I don’t like it. Teach children to be kind, and tell them it is not all that bad when something goes wrong. Be positive, be passionate about things they love! Teach children always give others a helping hand when needed, spread the love always.
I loved reading this blog and I admire you ladies for everything you stand for. I tell my children to treat others as you would like to be treated and to always remember God is always watching and will see the good that you do as well as the bad.