True Beauty Shines

 I love all the insight I receive from my young little girls hearts and mouths on a daily basis. I know it is said time and time again "like the mind of a child" but I never knew how much this held true until my own children began to grow and mature.  Since it has been quite some time since I last blogged, my oldest Kinsleigh has turned 5.  She is beginning to ask more questions about God and life in general and I LOVE IT.  You can see the little wheels in her head going round and round as she is oh so very curious about her world around her.  The other day we were having one of our pretty deep intentional talks on the drive home from school and what she said really stuck with me.  She was basically asking about how God created different things and how we were given different attributes to all look unique.  I love chatting with her about these topics because I get to highlight the true AWESOME-NESS of Christ.  But the best part of it all is she ended the conversation with this..."Mommy, I'm so glad God made me with brown hair, brown eyes and my skin just this color.  He made me just the way I want to look and I love it!" How often and early are these thoughts corrupted and we are tricked into thinking that we should look differently?  I love that she is so happy with who she is...if only it could stay that way.  And I believe it can, by the way we choose to build our children up and remind them of it daily.  I can guarantee you that neither one of my children have gone a day in their lives without their Daddy or I telling them they look beautiful in some way during at least one point in the day.  Because I know how beneficial it is to the health and well being of their growing up as a young girl in this ever so demanding world we live in.  Then you have my youngest, Kyla, who has all the complete opposites of her big sister. Blonde (curly) hair, blue eyes, and tall and skinny.  People sometimes have to ask if they are even sisters!  Just last night in the tub, her sister decided it would be funny to pour water over her head and tell her that her hair was turning brown.  Of course it was because it was wet but poor little Kyla was terrified that it would be permanent.  She began screaming "Mommy, Mommy! My hair is turning brown and it won't be blonde ever again!"  Granted, big sister thought it was funny but I loved that she was so concerned that she wasn't going to stay the way she already was.  We got asked at least 3 more times before heading to bed that evening if it had returned to it's original state yet.
Be careful what you say around your kids.  The way they feel about themselves primarily comes from the one and only you.  Children don't know the meaning of ugly, fat, weird, and "different" until it is taught to them.  Obviously, at some point in their lives, they are going to know.  But it is your job as a parent to make sure it never gets believed...or spread.