My daughters aren’t beautiful.  But before you throw me in the “awful mom” category, hear me out, ok?  They are so much more than that.  Raising children, let alone girls, is such a difficult task that unfortunately doesn’t come with a manual.  Our society is quick to tell little girls how “beautiful” they look, but please – don’t tell my daughters they are beautiful.

Tell them they are smart.  E is reading chapter books at age six!  And A picks up on things so quickly for just turning three.  They ask questions about everything under the sun and are genuinely interested in the answer.  They love to learn.

Tell them they are compassionate.  When A is upset, E is usually the first one to take her hand and ask if she’s ok.  (that is, of course, as long as she wasn’t the culprit!).  They love to hug and kiss each other and are quick to cuddle with me and their dad.  They feel the feelings of others around them and love to laugh with their friends, but also feel their sadness as well.

Tell them they are kind.  Both E and A have great manners, and almost always don’t need to be reminded to say “please” and “thank you” anymore.

Tell them they are good listeners.  Tell E she did a great job at gymnastics, and that she’s really perfecting that round-off.  Tell A that you are so proud of how well she is doing in swim lessons, and watching her swim underwater is so great to see.

Tell them they are good people.

Let’s change this for all of the young girls out there.  Who they are as a person should be more important that how they look.  It should always be that way, right?