I’ve been watching the Ellen Degeneres show today. Her guest was Brooke Shields and they were discussing being conscious of the labels that are given to children, in Brooke’s case, her looks. Ellen then made the comment that she has an 18 month old niece that people/her family tell all the time, “You’re beautiful.” Ellen thinks it’s not healthy to be telling a child that all the time. They then discussed putting value on what they, the children, are labeled. I think this would be a great topic for open discussion or comment.
I had a cousin whose mother consistently called her stupid. She wasn’t, of course, but she grew up thinking that she wasn’t overly bright and in her teens and twenties, I don’t believe she ever saw herself as being of much value. This all took place many years ago in a land faraway (Zimbabwe) and I’m not in contact with this special cousin, whom I thought was awesome and sweet, but I’d like to think that motherhood helped her find her place with loved ones that didn’t use labels to define themselves.
On the other hand, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling your children how special and wonderful they are. I think all of my children, and now my grandchildren, are exceptionally bright, talented and contributing human beings with kind hearts, strong testimonies and make the world a much better place.
Jeanette
New Jersey
