"I'm not pretty!" How can a three-year old be so concerned about being pretty/cute/beautiful? Jillian
has to brush her hair immediately when she wakes up, after she gets her face washed, etc. It has to be perfect - and I have to curl it if it doesn't meet her standards. We talk about so many other qualities that she possesses, why is it that she focuses on her looks? We encourage her in many ways - she's a smart, spunky, creative little girl and gets lots of attention in all those areas. I try not to place importance on their looks - as long as they are clean and don't have hair hanging in their faces, gross noses, etc., I'm comfortable with it. Perhaps she is picking some things up from me. I haven't had a lot of time to spend on beautifying myself lately.
Here's a conversation we had recently:
Jillian: Mom, I don't like your hair like that. I like it down on both sides. (I have been wearing a pony tail lots, due to small, grabby hands.)
Mommy: I'll wear my hair down to church on Sunday, ok?
Jillian: Yeah, and don't forget to put on makeup, too.
Have I let myself go so much that a three year old can't stand looking at me?
Any suggestions? Will it pass? Society places a huge emphasis on looks and I want to instill the self confidence in my girls to endure that pressure. I just thought I had more time to prepare them!
This never happens! Delaney is at a friend's house, and Elliott and Jillian are sleeping! What do I do? Scrub the kitchen floor that so desperately needs it? Pay the bills? Dust (that might take a while as it's never done)? Sort through the piles and piles of papers that have accumulated from preschool? Clean the fingerprints off the stainless steel appliances? I should probably start pulling all the receipts and papers together to start our taxes! Do I dare attempt to do something I enjoy, like scrapbooking? Oh, I know -- take a leisurely bath with a good book. . . Wait, problem solved! The phone just rang - Delaney's on her way home. And what's that I hear through the monitor? I think my hungry boy is waking up. . . So much for my 15 minutes of time alone!
