Our Little Princess

This was our little cutie before church today. I put this outfit on her and she said, "Mommy, do I look pretty? Do I look like you?"

And another from our pre-dress up before this weekend's princess party:

At which point she asked, "Mommy, am I a pretty princess?"

      

So sweet. First of all I'll take it as a compliment that she's insinuating that I'm pretty because there will come a time in her life when she may be more critical of the mom who is dropping her off at school, or kissing her in front of her friends or wanting to walk around the mall with her. I like that she views me adoringly at this stage of the game, so I'll take it as long as I can.

But, more importantly, I wanted to scream "OF COURSE YOU ARE PRETTY!!! DON'T EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL INSIDE IN OUT AND I HOPE YOU ALWAYS KNOW THAT AND NEVER FORGET IT!!!"

Really, I was just slightly taken aback that already at 2 1/2 she has the awareness to ask if she is pretty. And, it reminded me of the task at hand as parents; instilling a sense of self-esteem in our children, from a young age, that confirms in them that they are valuable, that their traits and characteristics are wonderful, and that God created each one of his children to be beautiful.

I admit, I have no idea how to do this on a tangible level. I feel SO ill-equipped for this mommy job sometimes, except that I know that I am doing the best that I can, and as my girls grow and mature I will continue to try to be knowledgeable, aware and most importantly prayerful about the things going on in their lives.

I do know, from my days of teaching high-school English, that self-esteem infiltrates ALL areas of a a child's life; their behavior, their confidence, their ability to connect with others and to make choices for themselves. I want Ava and Ella to have a strong sense of self, not one placed in outer appearance, but one placed on who they are on the inside; the skills, talents and personality that they were created with.

And, I realize, that that type of self-esteem comes from an understanding of oneself that goes WAY deeper than "Am I pretty?" Of course I will always remind my children that they are beautiful, but I will also try to teach them that it is the inner stuff that counts; how are you treating your sister? how do you treat others? how can we help others? how does God see you? what talents do you think he gave you that he wants you to share with others?

I'll end with a verse from my favorite Psalm, the Psalm that we read at Ava's baptism/dedication:

"For you created my inmost being;

     you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well."

     (Psalm 139:13-14)

So, while I know that I won't always know what to say or how best to tell my children that they are beautiful and wonderful, I'm comforted by the fact that we have a God, a creator, who knows them even better than I do...and also knows me as a mommy even better than I know myself, and that by His grace we'll all make it through.