“You look beautiful!” my daughter exclaimed when she saw me standing in the kitchen this morning. I was dressed in sweat pants, a baggy old sweater that had seen better days, and my hair had been hastily pulled back into a messy bun. My body was slumped tiredly against the counter; a strong cup of coffee in one hand, cold, weak toast in the other.
“Thank you,” I said, setting my breakfast down. I knelt down, and my soon to be 4 year old launched herself into my arms. Her little body was still warm from sleep, and her hair held the soft, sweet smell of apples. I pressed my lips to her forehead. “You are beautiful too, sweetheart,” I said.
She pushed back, abruptly. “Not yet!” she exclaimed. “I’m not dressed in my beautiful clothes! And my hair doesn’t have anything beautiful in it!”
“Huh,” I said, thoughtfully tilting my head to the side. I studied her for a moment. Golden hair cascading gently down her back, blue eyes filled with laughter and wonder, rosy cheeks flushed with the excitement of a new day. My daughter is, in fact, quite beautiful. Yet I didn’t rush her over to a mirror in order to point that out. Instead, I shared a secret.
“I guess I haven’t told you about the secret to true beauty yet, have I?” I mused.
“What is it?” she gasped.
“Well,” I began. “True beauty isn’t something you see at first. It’s something you feel.” My daughter looked confused, but snuggled in closer and listened intently.
“The most beautiful people in the world are kind, helpful, loving and good. Their beauty is inside of them. So when you meet these people, they have the kind of beauty that shines through from the inside out. You feel good when you’re around them. Sometimes you feel their beauty before you see it.”
“What if we put jewelry on?” my daughter asked. “Does that make us beautiful?”
“Jewelry can be very pretty,” I said, nodding, “and it’s fun to wear, but it doesn’t make us beautiful. It doesn’t matter what clothes we have on, or what our hair looks like. If we are not beautiful on the inside, we can never truly be beautiful on the outside.”
My daughter thought about this for a moment while she played with a thread that was slowly unraveling from the cuff of my sweater. “Mom?” she said, looking up at me. “You feel beautiful to me.”
“You feel beautiful to me, too,” I said, hugging her closer.
And she is.
Your daughter is right, you are a beautiful person, inside and out. (And so is your daughter, clearly). 🙂
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Thank you so, so much! ❤ 🙂
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So cute and that is what daughters are. Great words
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You are absolutely right!
Thank you so much! 🙂
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Welcome
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Beautiful post. I love it! Your daughter is fortunate to have you as her model.
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That is so kind of you to say! Thank you. ❤ 🙂
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Lovely. Kids say it just as they see it.
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You are so right! I love that about them. 🙂
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So choked up at the end – you sure are raising them right!💓
Cheers,
Katrina Anderson
________________________________
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Thanks Katrina! That means a lot coming from you. ❤ 🙂
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Your a great mum, what a lovely thing to explain beauty 🌹
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Thank you so much for saying that! 🙂 ❤
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Your welcome and notice that I did not mention the M word 😉🌹❤️
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I was waiting for it 😉
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I know lol 😂 but honestly I think you are a really good mum 👍
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Thanks 🙂 ❤
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This is so sweet! These are the conversations that we are having with our four year old too. ❤
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Yay! I love that!!
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Awh… so sweet!
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Thank you!! 🙂
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I cannot love this enough! I love the way your writing brings us right into your life, your home, your kitchen and your heart. You are very beautiful and that beauty certainly shines from within.
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Thank you so much, Stacey! That is such a lovely, kind thing to say. ❤
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What a great post! So sweet 🙂
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Thank you! It was an incredibly sweet moment. 🙂
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What a doll she is! You found the perfect words for her. 🙂
I’m trying to get this point across to my 3.5yo right now, too. She is very much a dress/tights/tutu/jewelry/hair stuff kind of girl, which I’m trying to break through….
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My daughter loves pretty clothes, shiny jewelry, and lovely hair accessories. She loves to dress up, and she changes outfits several times throughout the day! I don’t mind that this is what makes her happy right now, but I do want to make sure she gets the right message along the way. 🙂
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Yes, so true. Both messages can be given at once. Changing outfits, wowzas!
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Aawwwwww… such a beautiful post. Can’t wait to have these conversations with my little one.
You do feel like a beautiful person 🙂
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Thank you! That is so kind of you to say! 🙂 🙂
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This is so beautiful. I hope I find the right words like this for my kiddo when this situation arises. I will be thinking of this.
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Thank you 🙂
My guess is that you will do just fine when the time comes! ❤
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Gorgeous, in every single way that counts – outside and in, backed up with actions and words. Congratulations on guiding your daughter along the road of happiness and understanding. Hugs from your child are always the absolute best, most beautiful feeling in the world. Nothing comes close.
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This is such a lovely comment! Thank you so very much! 🙂
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Oh wow – what a moment!! That was so lovely- thanks for sharing it! ❤
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It really was such a wonderful moment. Thanks for reading! ❤
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Aww what a lovely story and you are teaching your daughter such a wonderful lesson!!
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Thank you so much! ❤
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You’re welcome! ❤
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This is so beautiful. ❤
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Thank you ❤
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This is so lovely…. ❤️
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Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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You’re welcome… I really enjoy your blog. You’re capturing all the memories that so few of us write down. Your kids will appreciate your lovely words when they’re older. It’ll be a treasured keepsake for them. 🙂
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Aw, that’s such a wonderful compliment. 🙂 I really appreciate it! Thank you! ❤
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😉
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This is perfect! So important to teach our daughters that! My daughter is a bit princess-obsessed, so I have to rein her in sometimes and remind her it’s not just about the clothes and jewelry!
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Thanks! 🙂
My daughter is in love with princesses, the idea of dressing up, and all things beautiful. These kinds of talks are probably just the first of many!!!
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Happy Mothers day…what a great memory to cherish!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Thank you for letting us into such a sweet moment ♥
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You’re welcome! Thank you for reading! 🙂
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That’s so beautiful. Hugs,
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Thank you ❤
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A beautiful conversation and a beautiful message!
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Thanks so much! It really was quite beautiful! 🙂
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Only happens with daughters, boys are too busy and preoccupied for such conversations
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That’s so sweet and you were very wise in your responses to her.
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Thank you! ❤
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Heartwarming 🙂 It brought a wee tear to my eye! (hormonal!) xx
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Thank you ❤
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That’s a great lesson you taught her 🙂
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I wish I had learned it myself when I was younger, but I am just grateful now that I finally figured it out! ❤
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Well better late than never. You’re helping out her in learning it young. That evens things I believe 😉
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Beautiful and lovely
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Thank you so much ❤
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You’re a wise and loving mum. You are quite right, I wish more people would realize this.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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My reader betrayed me. While I was on my trip I didn’t see any of your new posts. This is absolutely wonderful! And you have a published author writing style. Mommy memoir one day?
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Your comments are always so kind. Thank you! Feedback like this always means so much. 🙂
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Awh oh my gosh this is beautiful! Very true and the way you write about it illustrates perfectly in my mind. So good that your daughter is learning the true meaning of beauty at an early age.
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Thank you so much for the lovely comment! 🙂
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Wow!! This is so cute and lovely!! You are beautiful inside out.
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This is such a lovely comment! Thank you!
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☺️☺️
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Reblogged this on GO TO GIRL and commented:
Kids ask the most innocent but necessary questions.
What is beauty? What makes me/you beautiful? Is it the jewellery?
No? You feel beautiful from the inside out.
Thought I’d share this with you this morning.
GTG
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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