Picture Perfect?

Every morning Hailee and I get ready together.  Some mornings it's a very enjoyable experience and we have some good chats about life.  Most mornings it's a very frustrating experience, as I'm almost always running late and don't have time to look at this or that or answer this question or, or, or, or...  And honestly, sometimes I just want to drink my coffee, put on my mascara and listen to the radio...ALONE.  I love my baby girl to death, but if she's awake and doesn't have food in her mouth, she's talking.  Not necessarily TO me, but still...her mouth is moving and sound is coming out.  And sometimes it's just more than I can handle in the morning.  Can any of you moms relate?  

Anyway...the other day we were having one of the enjoyable mornings.  We weren't running late (Shocker.), my first sips of coffee had set in (Ahhhh....) and she wasn't arguing with me about how to do her hair (Unusual.).  I could tell that she was thinking about something (that's the other time that she isn't talking) and out of nowhere she says quite seriously "Mommy, I think I know something you don't."  Gulp.  Not exactly the words that a mother likes to hear.  However, I do have to say that I have become quite accustomed to hearing semi-shocking information over the last few years and there's really nothing that anyone can say at this point that would shock me.  Some of you know what I mean, some of you will just have to wait for the Lifetime movie to come out.

Okay...Deep breath in.  "Hailee, what is it?"  Then, in a genuinely concerned voice, she says "I'm worried because I think if you're pretty when you're little, that you don't grow up to be pretty."  Deep exhale. 

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, because I saw a picture of you when you were younger and you're a lot prettier now."

"You don't think Mommy was pretty as a kid?"

"You were kind of weird looking.  But now you're really pretty.  Since I'm pretty now, then maybe I won't be pretty when I grow up."

First of all, I'm very happy that Hailee thinks/knows that she's adorable.  I just hope and pray that she will continue to build that confidence and self-esteem through these growing years.  I think that's the hardest thing for kiddos to get, especially girls. But, it can make all the difference in the choices that they make.  However, it concerns me that at such a young age there is already the focus on being pretty.  I never want her to have confidence based solely on her appearance.  With so much focus on it in the media, how do we as parents instill that how you look isn't everything?  We did have a quick talk about how she's also smart, funny and a good person, which are traits that mean much more than being pretty.  I guess I'll just continue to have more of those same conversations with her and hope that it works.  Come to think of it, that's pretty much what parenting is all about though, isn't it?  You try your best to do what you can and just hope that they turn out okay!    

Second of all, weird looking?  Really?  Ouch.  That one hurt.  At least she thinks I'm pretty now, I guess!  I need to figure out which picture she's talking about.  It must have been one from between about third grade and college.  Let's just say that I wasn't the prettiest girl in school, but I was smart and a good person and maybe a little bit funny.