Not long ago on that modern neighborhood party line known as
Facebook I noticed something that stated four-year-old children ask over 400
questions in a single day. Being a parent of a four-year-old I was not shocked.
Now, as with about 98% of what is shared on Facebook, I am not sure of the
exact truthfulness of that precise statement but I know firsthand how a four-year-old can ask a
lot of questions because everyday Hannah asks lots and lots of questions. While she is
four for a few more months, from time to time, I plan to share some of these
questions with you. Some of them are genuine and sincere. Some of them are a
bit wacky and off the wall. Some of them just make me pause and marvel at the inquisitive nature of a four-year-old.
As an active four-year-old, Hannah loves princesses and everything
related to them. Often, we find she is flitting around the room holding
imaginary conversations with others. Picking out bits and pieces of these
conversation we find she is sometimes fighting dragons, sometimes chasing bad
guys and sometimes searching for lost medallions and the such. Still, at an
early age, the idea of a princess is something that is part of how she
identifies herself in some way.
Recently, Hannah was busy in her make-believe world. She was
adorned in a deep blue princess nightgown trimmed with purple and gold. I don’t
recall her having on any shoes which these days is not unusual. Either she
really doesn’t like shoes or she is really buying into this princess thing and
is waiting for some prince to swoop in with a pair of shoes that fit her feet
perfectly. Either way, on this day, she danced around the room light as air on
her feet. She spun and twirled around the room saying things in a quiet voice
that I could not quite understand, things not necessarily intended for me to
hear. She pranced closer to me though, twirled around and stopped at a point
where she turned her head in a certain position. She then looked me in the eyes
and asked, “Am I beautiful?”
Wow! What a question for a four year old. I realize now, as I did
then, she was likely mimicking something she had heard in a movie or on television.
Still, I recognized it as a question most every girl will ask at some point in
her life: “Am I beautiful?”
How did I respond? Of course, I told Hannah she was the most
beautiful girl in the whole wide world. That is probably not the answer some in
today’s hyper-sensitive, hyper-critical world would want a father to give to
his four-year-old daughter. But the truth is, in my biased eyes, she is
beautiful and always will be beautiful.
That said, the remainder of this piece is directed to Hannah.
Hannah, I hope as you grow older you read what is ahead and come to understand
some truths about true beauty.
Being physically beautiful is important to the world in which you
live. It always has been and it probably will be the entirety of your life. There is
nothing wrong with physical beauty but please understand it is something that
is very subjective. Physical beauty changes, too. Age, time and unbridled vanity will bring
changes whether we want them to or not. Beauty can even become something that people
chase after to the neglect and ruin of more important things. Please understand those you see on television and in the movies, those models on magazine
covers and others who live and die for the label of being called beautiful
chase after something that will never fully satisfy. The standard of beauty they
measure things against will change or those who they feel need to be impressed
will move on to someone or something else. Don’t live your live in that kind of
world.
On the other hand, don’t ever let anyone tell you are not
beautiful. Don’t let someone who claims to be your friend or who claims they
are something more than your friend tell you that you are not beautiful. Don’t allow
anyone to define you when the words they speak emanate from a heart peppered with envy or spite.
Ultimately, that is where it all starts, the heart. True beauty
lies within you. True beauty begins inside and manifests itself in surprising
ways.
You are beautiful when you look at your mother with wonder and
amazement hoping you become more like her. You are beautiful when you are helpful
to others even when no one but you knows of the kindness you express. You are beautiful
when you use your words to comfort or to encourage those who need compassion or
a boost in their day. You are beautiful when you forgive someone even after
they have wronged and hurt you. You are beautiful when you help someone who
cannot give you back anything in return but their gratitude.
Are you beautiful? When you ponder this in the time ahead don’t
look at the mirror, look at your heart, that’s where your answer will be.
