What Does Pretty Mean?

Does your girl ask if she is pretty?  How do you answer?  You answer "Yes, of course you are," because she is.

She's pretty and talented and smart and funny and kind and caring and creative and curious and interesting and fun and courageous and loving and honest and strong and determined.  She is pretty and being pretty is just one facet of a complex person. Just one part of a whole person.  Of course she is pretty and it is no more important or less important than any of her other attributes.

She is pretty because she is unique and individual and different from every other person. She is pretty because of her individuality and uniqueness, not because she meets some set of standards.  She is pretty for her own unique individual combination of special traits.

She is pretty because she has features in common with her ancestors and her other family members, becasue her version of prettiness tells a story about past people and present people.  She is pretty because she is unique because of those people, not because she is part of some average or meets some percentage or expectation.  She is pretty because of who she came from, because of her connections to those people past and present. 

She is pretty because she smiles and makes people smile by sharing her joy and taking theirs in.  She is pretty because she expresses her joy and her happiness with laughter and grins that cover her whole face.  She is pretty because she is also not afraid to express sadness or worry or doubt or compassion with her whole face and body.  She is pretty because she makes eye contact when she listens and raises her eyebrows when she is curious.  She is pretty when she is sweaty because it proves she works and when she is dirty cuz it proves she gardens or builds or runs or climbs or plays.  She is pretty for who she is and what she does and how she expresses that every single day.

Her scars make her prettier because they are reminders of stories of courage or taking a risk or proof of surviving adversity. Her imperfections are part of what makes her even more unique and interesting.  Her story is part of what makes her pretty.

She is pretty now and always has been and always will be, no matter how her body or face changes over time. 

She is pretty because she is who she is.