My mother tells me that she spent a lot of time when I was a little girl telling me how beautiful I was. No matter what awkward stage I was going through at the time, she always made an effort to remind me that I was beautiful.
She never gave it a second thought until one day she when said, "You're so pretty, Ry-Ry," and I turned around, flipped my hair back with my hand, put my hand on my hip, and said, "I know." Ha.
It was then that she began her quest to make sure I understood how important it was to be pretty on the inside. I seriously can't even tell you how many times I heard her say "pretty on the inside," as she encouraged me to be a person of kindness and character.
Now that I am the mother of a young girl in an age where appearance is so often prioritized over all else, I see why my mom thought it so important to instill in me this idea that beauty isn't everything.
It's honestly really hard. Because every time I look at my daughter, I want to tell her how pretty her little face is.
It's honestly really hard. Because every time I look at my daughter, I want to tell her how pretty her little face is.
I mean, seriously. It really is the cutest.
But what I really want is for her to be kind. Generous. Selfless. Honest. Genuine. Hard-working. Thankful.
I want her to be trustworthy and creative and quick to offer an encouraging word to people around her.
I see flashes of so many of these qualities in her already, and it's so much fun watching the shape of her little personality begin to form.
I don't really know that this post has a real point. Mostly, I just wanted to remind myself what a weighty thing it is to be entrusted with a little person to raise. All I can do is my best to make sure she knows that it's who she is—at the very core of her being—and not what she looks like that matters.
How do you teach your kids to be pretty on the inside?
But what I really want is for her to be kind. Generous. Selfless. Honest. Genuine. Hard-working. Thankful.
I want her to be trustworthy and creative and quick to offer an encouraging word to people around her.
I see flashes of so many of these qualities in her already, and it's so much fun watching the shape of her little personality begin to form.
I don't really know that this post has a real point. Mostly, I just wanted to remind myself what a weighty thing it is to be entrusted with a little person to raise. All I can do is my best to make sure she knows that it's who she is—at the very core of her being—and not what she looks like that matters.
How do you teach your kids to be pretty on the inside?
3 comments:
Ugh her little face is seriously the prettiest. But I understand exactly where you're coming from. Being entrusted with a little human is a big responsibility, especially when you consider that they'll grow into real, live adults. I'm sure with parents like you and Micah, it'll be hard for her to turn out any way but kind.
I love this post because I honestly feel like raising kids has changed so much since we all grew up. I don't have any of my own yet, but I see it with all my nieces and nephews and I see my sister and sister in law raising their kids the way we were raised....but I see some others out there that aren't instilled with those core values and morals and it makes me sad. I feel like the fact that you want all of that and were raised with such, will shine brightly in your beautiful little girl!
Oh man, I wish I had the answer! Natalie will command us to tell her she looks so pretty! Oops! I think we say it a little too much. I talk to Phillip a lot about being kind and thinking of others but Natalie is so young it's harder. I know I need to though. I don't regret telling her she is beautiful (apparently there is a whole movement now to not tell your daughter she is pretty!), but I too need to work on emphasizing the more important qualities she has!
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