Mum's dressing room encounter with her son is what every mother NEEDS to hear

Lindsay Stauffer hates clothes shopping for herself – a strong word but one that is warranted in her case nonetheless. 

It has a negative impact on her mentally, never feeling anything but doom and gloom following a spell in the dressing room. 

It is something that slowly crept up on the mum following the birth of her two children, slowly worsening after her youngest joined their family. 

"This hate is a more recent feeling, brought on by the birth of baby number two last year and the few extra pounds I've packed on since then. And when I say a few, I mean a lot. Like, A LOT, a lot."

But she got on with it; Lindsay was comfortable having her comfy shirts and jeans which she rotated on a weekly basis. 

But taking to Life Off The Record, where the mum-of-two likes to share snippets of her life, she writes: "I've tried to avoid anything remotely close to clothes shopping for the past year."

"Yesterday, my streak was broken and I was forced to enter the war zone. I took my four-year-old son in with me, because quite frankly, he's too crazy to trust waltzing around the store with his dad and brother."

Entering the fitting room area of the store, her son played a game on his own while Lindsay began the trying-on process, hoping to get it over with as soon as possible.

"I tried on shirt number one and immediately began pulling and tugging at it in an attempt to get it to cover all the right places. Everything about my body was larger these days and now I had the chance to see it from every angle. Lucky me."

"I stared at my reflection, mentally ticking off every flaw I saw in the mirror and believe me, there were many. 'Awwwww Mommy, that looks so cute', at some point, my son had stopped playing and was smiling at me as he gave his approval in his cutesy little voice. I couldn't help but laugh."

From that point on, every single thing Mum tried on was either 'so cute' or 'so good' courtesy of her personal cheerleader, but the most surprising part was that Lindsay was laughing and smiling. 

"Not only was I actually happy, but I bought something. If you know me, that's a monumental win. All because of one adorable, little four-year-old."

Pondering, she realised that there was no need for her doom when it came to a shopping adventure, because it really didn't matter how she appeared in the mirror, her body represented something more important to the people she cares about most. 

"It's not like he even knew what he was talking about. […]. The kid is four; he knows absolutely nothing about fashion. When he looks at me he doesn't see any of that. He sees his Mummy."

"He knows my arms will wrap him up in a huge bear hug and comfort him when he's hurt or scared. He knows they're good for cuddling on the couch. He knows when he's in them, he's safe," added Mum. 

Lindsay's four-year-old is aware that as well as his mum's arms, her legs are for him too; to chase him around the yard, to help give him piggyback rides, and to carry him up the stairs when he's too tired, he doesn't care how they appear. 

Lindsay writes: "He doesn't see the version of me that I see. He sees his security. His safe place. His cheerleader. His encourager. His constant. And a love that will never change, no matter what."

Begging other mum's to take her points on board, the mum-of-two is requesting all mums to begin seeing what your children see.

"Forget about the stomach rolls, stretch marks, and the cellulite. […] Don't worry about the fact that you can't, and may never, fit into your pre-baby, size four jeans. Because our kids don't see our jean size."

"They simply see Mom."