February 27, 2014

My Daughter Taught Me A Lesson

Tomorrow is my birthday {YAY!} and to treat myself I'm getting my hair cut and highlighted for the first time in about 6 months.  Blondes should never go 6 months between highlights.  I'm rocking my own sort of ombre over here except it doesn't look pretty like ombre.  Seeing my natural hair color is kind of fun {I forgot what it was, to be honest} but it's just this mousy light brownish color and it's not flattering, it washes me out.

I was looking at pictures on Pinterest and Kendall saw and asked who these ladies were.  I told her I was going to see Holly {my friend and hairstylist who has a daughter Kendall's age that we play with often} and she got excited, thinking she was coming with.  I told her that Miss Holly was going to be cutting mommy's hair and making it blonde, just like her {Kendall}.

And what she said to me, I'll never forget.

"But mommy your hair is beautiful!  I like it like that!  It doesn't look bad!".   All said while giving me the saddest puppy dog eyes and her head tilted.

Sweet, sweet girl. She doesn't see my overgrown roots.  She doesn't see my lifeless locks and split ends.  She just sees me and she loves me just the way I am.  Hair and makeup and nice clothes mean nothing to her.  She doesn't care if I'm makeup-less and wearing mismatched sweats all day.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all see ourselves that way?  The way God sees us.  Perfect, just the way we are.

I think of all the women out there who go to great lengths to make themselves look beautiful, in their eyes.  Plastic surgery, eating disorders, teeth whitening, etc all for the sake of beauty.  It's sad, really.  We were all created by the same Creator and He made us just the way we are, perfect. But not many of us, myself included, see it that way.  We look in the mirror and see wrinkles, grey hair, blemishes, cellulite, whatever and think we are imperfect.  We all have imperfections, things we could work on, but we are all perfect in His eyes.

Hearing Kendall say those words to me made me realize just that.

And besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?  So who deems what is beautiful anyway?  The media?  Our peers?  Celebrities?

beau·ty
ˈbyo͞otē/
noun
  1. 1.
    a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, esp. the sight.

According to definition, there is no definition of what or who is beautiful.  It is to each individual to decide.  Today I decide that I am beautiful, just the way I am.  I haven't showered today, am a little bit stinky from running this morning, my clothes don't match and there is spit up on my shirt, but that doesn't mean I'm not beautiful.  

Beauty is only skin deep, it's what's inside that counts {I know, enough with the cheesy quotes} and inside I am a beautiful person too. I have my moments.  I lose my temper and say things I don't mean.  I get upset over trivial things.  But in my core I have good intentions and want nothing but the best for everyone I encounter. 

I am raising a daughter and I do not want her growing up being unhappy with the reflection in the mirror. She is gorgeous but I'm sure one day she won't think so.  I will do everything in my power to let her know the lesson she taught me when she was younger.  I also don't want her to be tortured by the scale.  I don't want her to change.  I hope that when she sees me exercising she is encouraged and empowered to want to be healthy.  I hope that she takes care of herself in a way so that she can live a long life.  

So, let's stop beating ourselves up over our imperfections. We are perfect and beautiful, just the way we are.  

*I am still going to get my hair done, don't get me wrong.  But I do have a new, refreshed perspective on the ideals of beauty, thanks to my three-year-old.

11 comments:

  1. I love kids! They are so honest and genuine! I pray that Kendall stays that way always and that I am raising a daughter that only see beauty in the goodness and purity of things and not what they look like, or the price tag, or the name on the tag. Parenting is so hard and refreshing at the same time! Hormones - sheesh making myself cry! :)

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  2. Happy Birthday!! Tomorrow is my birthday as well. I always take the day off work, send everyone else to their usual places, and do whatever I want! Enjoy your Day!!

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  3. Perfectly said! I feel bad when my 3yr old daughter asks for 'makeup' (which is chapstick for her) so I always try to make a point to remind her that she's beautiful and smart and doesn't need to do anything. Luckily her response right now is 'but it tastes like oranges! I like it!' haha.

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  4. UMMM HELLO TEARS! Thanks KP ;) I absolutely loved this and I love you! You ARE beautiful ;)

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  5. This is a great post... so hard to remember that we are all beautiful to our innocent children. I read something the other day that made me realize that we, as mothers, need to thinking more positively about ourselves so our children learn to think positively of themselves. If you get a chance, read "When Your Mother Says She's Fat" by Kasey Edwards... It is quite thought-provoking and made me rethink how I speak about myself in front of my daughter.

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  6. So sweet! Kendall told me the other day that I don't need to wear makeup and I almost started crying!

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  7. Awww what a sweet girl!! And happy early birthday!!

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  8. Awww I love this! What a sweet girl. And happy birthday bitch!

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  9. aww kendall! may she always be that wise and sweet and remember that about her self as she becomes a teenager! you are a great mama!

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  10. That Kendall is a sweet heart. She's right too!! Her momma is all sorts of gorgeous. I just loved reading this.

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  11. Kendall is a good egg! I try very hard not to present negative ideas about myself around Boomer. Are there things about me I don't care for or that I would like to change? Yes (seriously, I'm getting boobs for my 30th if I have to eat ramen til I'm 35). Its important to show our girls that we love ourselves first!

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