"Beautiful" is not the ONLY compliment people need to hear...

I was laying in bed next to my daughter last night, tickling her back and running my fingers through her hair when I told her "you are so beautiful" for the umpteenth time that day...

That's when it dawned on me...

Telling my daughter that she is beautiful is probably the #1 compliment that I give her day in and day out, 10,000 times a day!!!!

I remember reading a blog post several years ago about how women do not need to be told they are beautiful. 

This particular blogger argued that we should STOP telling girls that they are beautiful because that sends the message that beauty should be our most desired trait.

I agreed with this blog post, remembering how growing up all I felt like I had to offer the world was my beauty!

My daughter is beautiful.

It's terrifying how gosh darn beautiful she actually is.

We get stopped alllllll the time by complete and total strangers that tell us that our daughter is gorgeous and that we will be in trouble when she gets older.

As much as I beam with pride over my daughter's physical beauty, it is also incredibly daunting.

I want her to know that she is beautiful.

However, I know that the world will tell her she is beautiful for me.

I want to pay her other meaningful compliments that will actually boost her confidence in WHO SHE IS as a woman, and as a daughter of God!

I want her to know that she is a freaking genius.

She is the most determined little human I have yet to encounter.

She can do hard things. I'm serious. She does hard things that I don't see kids who are older than her do!

She is a leader to her core.

I want her to know that she is so very loved. Without conditions. Always.

I want her to know that in my eyes, she is valued above all other things.

I want her to know that her individual worth is immeasurable.

I want her to know that she has a musical gift from God.

I want her to know that she can do anything. ANYTHING she sets her mind to.

I want her to know the value of being a literal daughter of an eternal king!

I want her to be SO VERY PROUD of being a WOMAN!

These are the kinds of compliments I want to be giving my daughter day in and day out 10,000 times a day.

These are the traits that I want her to value above anything else. Yes. Even her outer beauty.

I want her to know that even though she is beautiful, she is so much MORE than a pretty face!

She has EVERYTHING to offer the world, and THAT is what I want her to feel the most empowered by.