value

People have been telling my daughter she’s beautiful. She is beautiful. Definitely. And smart and funny and curious and fast and silly and creative and goofy and a whole lot of other things. But the thing she is told, more than anything else, is that she is beautiful. And that she has amazing hair.

I also have a son. And more than anything, he is being told that he is strong. That he is good at kicking and rolling and trying to stand. That he is strong.

Before I had kids I was aware of how differently boys and girls are treated and I always used to try and greet friends’ kids [boys and girls] with hellos and questions about what they have been doing and about what they think rather than with comments about their appearance.

But now it’s my daughter and I’m intensely aware of those throw-away comments implying value based on her physical appearance.

Tags: baby love, choices, values