Being a girl is hard. Being a woman is even harder. And having a daughter changes everything.
She doesn't know this yet. She doesn't know that other girls will tear her down just for the fun of it. She doesn't know that she'll be bombarded with images of what the world thinks is beautiful. She doesn't know that her heart is going to be broken or that love hurts.
She's trusting and spunky. Creative and eager. Smart and compassionate.
I want her to stay this way. And the question becomes what do I teach her so that her journey as a woman is easier than mine? What tools can I give her so that she is prepared?
This post is the beginning of a series - an idea I got from a fellow blogger. (Thanks, Lisa-Jo!) I've enlisted the help of other women and asked what messages they would impart to young girls. I am looking forward to sharing their wisdom...
Things I Want to Teach My Daughter:
Beauty Is a State of Mind, Not Body
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"Beauty is only skin deep."
"It's what is on the inside, not the outside, that makes you beautiful."
Our culture is full of sayings that send the message that we value a girl's heart more than her wardrobe. That her worth is not tied to a number on a scale or candles on a cake. But do we, females young and old, really believe this? Do we really live it and not just say it?
I'll lay truth on the line and own up to the fact that I have let myself go in the past few years. For one reason or another I have found myself in a place where I question if what's on the inside is any good. And my disarray on the inside has manifested itself on the outside. It all ties back to what I believe my worth to be. So this girl in the mirror and I have had a lot to talk about. We're in a better place and on the right track.
Then there is this little girl that looks at me with unconditional love for guidance and validation. She is beautiful - the very definition of it in any language. It breaks my heart to think that she could ever question her worth. That she would ever search for acceptance and love in the wrong places. That she would ever look in the mirror and wish to be something other than the imperfectly unique person she is.
And doesn't our heavenly Father feel that same heartache for us? Believing we must conform to what the world's idea of beauty is. Believing that we must be "less than" because we are single. Believing that our value and worth is somehow tied to a numeric symbol on a machine or a tag.
Oh, sweet girl, YOU are beautiful.
I am beautiful.
WE are beautiful!
"There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do..."
(Jonny Diaz, "More Beautiful You")
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