I am pretty, am beautiful and am wonderful

A few days ago, James, the kids and I were driving to my in-laws for Easter. The kids were in the back and we were happily chatting away in the front. Then I heard my 3 year old daughter talking softly to herself. I listened carefully and heard her say, 'I am pretty, I am beautiso (beautiful), and wonderso (wonderful). She repeated that over and over. If you know my daughter, you will know that she knows it and means it. She is so beautiful, funny, kind and very confident. And sometimes, she likes to think she is the boss around here.

Diana, at 2 months. This is one of my favorite pictures of her, she has ALWAYS been beautiful

Anyway, quietly I repeated the words to myself, 'I am pretty, am beautiful and I am wonderful.' At that moment, I can't describe what I felt without being cheesy. It was a wonderful experience, one I hope to feel always.

Living in America has been an eye opener for me. I see everyday what Elder Holland once said, "One would truly need a great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all around us. Yet at the end of the day there would still be those “in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers” as Lehi saw, because however much one tries in the world of glamour and fashion, it will never be glamorous enough."

This morning, I saw a Dove experiment that brought tears and touched me deeply. From Dove, "Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see"The video is below, please watch it.

I want my daughter to grow up always knowing that she is pretty, beautiful and wonderful. I want her to remember once again Elder Holland's plea, "..be proud you are a woman. I want you to feel the reality of what that means, to know who you truly are. You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make as you grow into mature womanhood. There could never be a greater authentication of your dignity, your worth, your privileges, and your promise. Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him."  

I hope I can always remember that too, that every woman I know will too. We may not look identical but we are all pretty, beautiso and wonderso. 

I would like to echo the ad's message, 'lets spend more time appreciating what we do like.'

 
Check out the whole story here: Dove Real Beauty Sketches