You are Beautiful

My beautiful baby girl turned 4.  Four! Can you believe it?  I look at her and at four years old she is already drop-dead gorgeous.  Curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, perfect skin and if she keeps her growth rate up she is going to be tall. And I wonder what am I going to do with her?  How am I going to handle her as she gets older and gets into boys and stuff?  Because it will happen, eventually.

It seems these days opinions are rather polarized. I should either restrict her from Disney Princesses, dress her as a hobo and pound into her head that beauty is NOT what you should be judged upon or I can make beauty and fashion EVERYTHING and enter her into pageants and what-not.  Whatever happened to simple balance?

Here's my problem: Every time I tell Lillian how beautiful she is I feel like I have to follow it up with how smart she is and explain to her that there is more to her than meets the eye. And she's only four, people!  But I worry that I am sending her the wrong message when I comment how pretty she looks in her new dress. 

So, I've been thinking and have finally come to a conclusion. I am going to tell Lillian that she is beautiful.  I want her to grow with a healthy self-image and in this day and age when girls are encouraged to look sexy at five, I want her to know that she can be beautiful without being slutty.

I want her to know it's possible to be beautiful and modest at the same time.  I want her to know, that when the time comes, there's nothing wrong with wearing make-up, doing your hair and taking care in your appearance.  I want her to be confident in who she is - ALL of who she is, the physical, mental and spiritual. 

She will be judged in her life.  School will judge her intellect and she will have grades and tests to prove that.  She will be judged at church and have opportunities to strengthen her testimony through callings and Young Women's and Girl's Camp.  But who am I going to let judge her beauty?  Am I going to let the world tell her how to look?  Or am I going to teach her how to judge herself in a healthy and respectful fashion?

Lillian runs around in pink and skirts and wild hair that she never let's me brush.  She does her nails and digs in the dirt with her brother.  She watches Disney, reads Fancy Nancy and loves ballet.  And I let her, I encourage her, because I want her to just be herself.

I love you my Lilly-bug.  And you will always my beautiful baby girl.