Imagine if you could fully affirm who your child will be now, leaving them no doubt of your true love for their true self.
In this keepsake book, a new parent imagines who their child will be - considering everything from their personality and gender identity, to their religion and political leanings - in a declaration of unconditional love.
Told in gentle rhyme, Loving the YOU That You Are preemptively addresses some of the common self-discoveries that can cause older children to question a parent’s acceptance… and puts them to rest.
Featuring a diverse group of people and families,
bedtime readings will leave young children feeling secure in the affirming love of their parent/caregiver.
Important messages from the book
There is not one way to be.
You get to be who
YOU want to be!
Even as you grow and change, you’ll be loved for who YOU are.
Here For You
With every read, bless your child with the sweet reminder that you will always love them for exactly who they are.
No exceptions.
About the Author
Kristin Blomberg (she/her) is a long-time health education specialist and public school teacher who lives with her family in Portland, Oregon USA. In her spare time, she loves to travel, dance, decorate cakes… and write! The young people in her life (both at home and in the classroom) are her biggest sources of inspiration, and Loving the YOU That You Are is her first book.
Kristin
Saoirse
About the Illustrator
Saoirse Lou (she/her) is a children’s illustrator, dragon tickler, and unicorn enthusiast based in Poole, UK. She loves creating quirky, whimsical illustrations for children's and young adult books. She has a keen interest in nature and mythology, which appear in her illustrations frequently. She uses a mix of traditional media such as watercolor, inks and gouache as well as working digitally.
Author’s Note
This book is for our kids…
While there is no shortage of children’s books that attempt to express the unconditional love that a parent has for their child, I found that even the most beautiful ones failed to fully capture the sentiment that I found myself grasping for when I first held my newborn babies in my arms. As a high school teacher, it was not uncommon for me to have teenage students who were keeping parts of their identities hidden from their families simply because they didn’t know how their parents would respond, and were afraid to find out. As a new mother, this made me yearn for an “I’ll always love you” book that could help me communicate not only unconditional, but also affirming love for my children from their earliest days - I never wanted them to question whether my love for them would remain as they discovered who they were meant to be.
… but it’s also for us.
That said, writing these words forced me to acknowledge that ideals and feelings don’t always match up, and simply wanting to be the kind of parent who gives their children the freedom to truly be themselves, didn’t necessarily make me that parent. But reading the words, over and over again, has gotten me closer. Every time I share this book with my children, I am prompted to consider both familiar and unfamiliar paths that they may take, and to practice truly celebrating whatever those may be. “I will never stop loving the YOU that you are” has become my mantra, and each repetition is a recommitment to the ideal it represents.
It is my sincere hope that every child who hears these words is left feeling secure in the unconditional and affirming love of their parent/caregiver...
… and that every parent/caregiver who reads them, feels a little more confident in their ability to deliver.
All the best - I am right there with you on this journey.
~Kristin
