Photo: Shawn Campbell

We were reading the Frog and Toad story "The Swim", and Toad, silly thing that he is, was worrying about looking funny in his swimsuit. My daughter didn't get it. "Why would someone think they look funny in a swimsuit?" she wondered aloud. It was as incomprehensible to her as my insistence that holding open the refrigerator door lets all the cold air out -- just another weird grownup mystery.

Kids, right? How I wish I felt this way! It is certainly a part of my mothering-a-girl-plan to teach her to feel confident in her own skin. And yet, my excitement about summer plans -- the pool! the beach! the sprinkler! -- is, let's admit it, tempered by my Fear of My Black Suit. You know, that same unassuming black thing I've sequestered myself in since puberty. Usually with a cover-up. And pants. And a portable tent. I'm kidding. (N,o I'm not.)

But you know what? It's National Swimsuit Confidence Week, darn it, and I think we should celebrate. Okay, so it's an ad campaign for Land's End. But it's an ad campaign with a valuable message: Land's End has teamed with the Curvy Girl Guide to encourage women of all sizes to feel confident this summer, and I think it's an idea we can all stand behind. In swimsuits, no less.  And let's hear it for these brave ladies who put photos of themselves in their swimsuits online, over at the Curvy Girl site -- and on the Today Show (as pictured). If they can do it, so can we. I mean, I'm totally not going to do that. But public pool... brace yourself. Mama's leaving the cover-up at home. (Or maybe in the car. You know, just in case.)

Read More:
7 Ways To Find a Swimsuit That Looks Great
The Best Bathing Suits for Every Body