This morning, once the girls were ready, I told the them to get their coats on and meet me in the car. I get into the car and start driving out of the driveway when I noticed something different about Mini me’s face. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but within moments I was in shock.
Why did my child attempt to go to school with PINK EYE SHADOW on Lord! You can barely see it, but I could tell it was there. I could see it, and I couldn’t believe it. I let her to play with makeup in the house. But it’s not like she does it often. Mainly when she has her friends over. We see it as dramatic play. Just like playing dress up or playing with her play kitchen. That’s as far as makeup play goes around these here parts. People who know me, know that I don’t wear makeup. I’m all about natural beauty. If I were to put makeup on it would be for special occasions like going to hubby’s Company parties. However, even in that situation I still don’t put much of anything on. Lipstick, eyeliner, and maybe some mascara, maybe.
You may be wondering, where did she get the makeup if I don’t wear it myself. Well, It was a gift on her 10th birthday from one of her friends. I don’t know who but I certainly would not have bought her makeup myself. I have gotten her lipgloss instead of chapstick. I told her she could wear that out, but that was pretty much it.
After I dropped baby girl off at school, mini me and I went back home, I politely cleaned off her face while having a talk with her about make up at this age. She is only 11. Definitely not old enough to wear makeup. I asked her where did she get the idea to wear makeup at school. She informed me that her friend, who is a 7th grader, wears makeup to school sometimes and she told her she could try it as well. I told her that she did not need to go to school with anything on her face. She is there to learn, not to have a fashion show. I let her know that I understand that she is going to be curious about makeup and want to try it out but that it is not need to look pretty. I explained to her that makeup covers up what naturally shows through, and that’s her beautiful from the inside out. I’ve always been taught growing up that makeup was bad for our family’s skin. With allergies and sensitive skin, makeup just would have made matters worse. I learned that makeup can cause acne, which can lead to putting more on to cover up that damage that was done until it becomes a viscous cycle. Then, for some women, they can become dependent on it, needing to wear it on a regularly. Hubby has always called it false advertisment. He is not the only guy I have talked to that has said the same thing. Once you pull of the mask, who are you really?
After having a nice, open discussion on the importance of loving herself just the way she is I Told her that she was beautiful, and that I loved the face that God gave her. I kissed her cheek, gave her a hug, and sent her off to school. She told me that she loved me back, and that she was beautiful because God made her like me 🙂 brought tears to my eyes.
I feel I got my point across today. She listened, understood, and went to school with a smile. Some may not understand why I do what I do, and that’s ok. Every parent raises their children differently. I just want to lead her into the right direction as much as I can. We live in a world where people are not real with themselves let alone others. Where everyone’s facees are photoshopped, and people aren’t looking at the real beauty within themselves.
Why not teach her to love herself naturally. To see that the face she sees in the mirror is her true self. Her God-Given self.
What are some ways that help your daughter to have a love for herself?