Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

Our girls L-O-V-E to wear dresses, skirts, nightgowns, etc. Pants are the enemy. In fact, if Reese is wearing anything other than one of the aforementioned garments, she insists that she is incapable of being pretty.

"I don't think princesses wear pants!", she gumbled all winter.

"They do if it's -2 degrees outside and they are running errands with the Queen!", I'd shoot back.

While I do enjoy having such girly girls who hold to the motto The Pinker & Frillier, The Better, I am also trying desperately to instill in them that real beauty, of course, comes from the inside. I could care less if my daughters are voted Prom Queen...what I really want is for them to have character and a sweet disposition, and befriend even those unlovable kids who sit in the back of the class eating crayons.

So time and time again, I go over with Reese, especially, that she's most beautiful when she shares with her siblings, or offers to help them with something....even if she has on shorts and a stained t-shirt. And on the flip side of that, she could wear the most beautiful sequined evening gown, but if she's scowling and whining about having to eat a green bean, then her disposition isn't very pretty.

I actually clung to the belief for awhile that my wee ones were taking to heart all my wise motherly advice and were able to make sense of it. Then one day, Reese was all dressed up for something or other. She did look very pretty indeed with her white blond curls framing her porcelain face.

"Mommy, how do I look?", she asked innocently.

"Sweetie, you look very cute!!", I gushed, then quickly remembered my teachings. "But, remember what's most important?", I prompted.

The wheels started turning and I waited expectantly for her to repeat my phrasing word for word. After a few more seconds, I was starting to wonder if she'd heard the question correctly. So I repeated, "What's most important Reese?".

"I know...I know...", she assured me. "Jesus is the cutest."