Sharing stories of our Peekaboo Beans Play Stylists Paying it Forward
Taking
some inspiration from the 'Keepin it Real' event that was hosted at the Peekaboo Beans
Playground in August, on Saturday September 15th, I had the pleasure of hosting
my own Keeping it Real - an event for tweens in Ottawa. I could not have
imagined a better response or turnout for the event. A friend who owns her own
home organization company, Heather or Smart Space Organizing, offered her office
space for the event. With Heather's many business contacts, we were able to get
some donations for swag bags, including Dove shampoo and deodorant, 3M post it
notes and biodegradable pens, and even personalized Mabels Labels tween packs,
which were a HUGE hit with the girls. I included some mini CiCi Bean catalogs as
well.
The
event was advertised on Facebook, Twitter and Eventbrite. Both Heather and I
also sent out the information through our newsletter lists. I had 25 RSVPs, and
more than 20 tweens (ages 8-14) and their moms arrived for an afternoon event! I
was so happy with the response! Almost everyone arrived early, hoping to be one
of the first to get a swag bag (I had advertised that there was a limited
amount). By 1:00pm the room was buzzing with conversation about real beauty!
Another
friend who owns her own photography business, Julie, offered to come and take
photos of the tweens and their moms. We had motivational signs for the girls to
hold with messages like:
I love you because.
When I see you I see.
I hope you
can see how amazing you are.
The best part of me is...
Let your heart be your
guide.
Happiness is the secret to all beauty.
A smile is the best kind of makeup
a girl can wear.
One mom/tween pair chose to write their own message and not
show each other. It will be a surprise once they see the photos. We had moms
tearing up as they were touched by the power of the motivational signs.
Around
the office walls I had posted large sheets of paper with a question prompt on
each one. The girls were given markers and crayons and invited to answer the
questions. What happened was a personal and intimate conversation between moms
and daughters as they answered each questions. I overheard a lot of tweens
asking their moms of their opinions, and moms redirecting the questions to their
daughters, prompting them to think deeper and come up with their own opinions.
It was beautiful to see this bonding experience, in a safe environment, where
moms could really connect with their daughters and think about some hard
questions that tweens are facing.
Heather
provided some organizational activities in the boardroom. One activity involved
asking the tweens and their moms to empty the contents of a bag and organize
them. The objective was to show how we all think differently about organizing,
and that to a tween her room may be untidy but organized in a way that works for
her. It was an eye opening activity for sure!
We
also had snacks and punch in the kitchen, and invited everyone to help
themselves.
At
the back of the space I had my rack of Peekaboo Beans and CiCi Beans samples to
try on. I invited the girls to give me their feedback about the line, without
any pressure to buy. The focus of the event was really on making a connection
between tweens and moms, and raising awareness of how important it is to talk to
our kids about hard questions like: "Do you find some people easier or harder to
talk with? Why do you think this is? How important is it to be able to express
yourself effectively?" The energy in the room was vibrant, and just by looking
around at the pairs of moms and daughters, I could tell there were moments of
connecting. One tween answered the prompt "Why did you decide to come to Keeping
it Real" with the answer "to spend quality time with my mom."
I
was honestly so inspired by the answers the girls gave to the questions about
beauty. As a parent of young children, but also as a teacher who often teaches
tweens, I realized that this age group has far strong opinions and knowledge
about self and beauty than I ever realized.
Heather
and I are already teaming up to host a 2nd Keepin it Real event in November,
which will include a tween yoga session and also a talk about budgeting and
finances for tweens. I can't wait to share with you how it goes, I know it will
be even better than the first one!
In
love and play, Vicky Bisson
Peekaboo Beans Play Stylist, Ottawa
CiCi Bean was born out of the idea that
tweens need to be confident in their bodies and in what they wear; that size
shouldn’t be what matters. While this idea was full of love and purpose, the
tween market is extremely broad and quite hard to break in to. We’ve learned so
much along the way, and we now realize that what we do best in the world is
Peekaboo Beans. 
