Mommy, Am I Beautiful?

In my last post I shared some of my thoughts on beauty, and now I wanted to share some resources with you all.  Since this topic has been on my heart lately, I've been doing some research on it, and the links below offered some great insight on talking to children about beauty. I really liked what these ladies had to say on the topic, and I find their insight to be beneficial even for youth ministry.
Enjoy!  

http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/teaching-our-kids-about-beauty

http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/showing-beauty-to-our-children

http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/talking-to-our-children-about-beauty

http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/talking-to-our-children-about-beauty-pt.-2

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the articles:

"Sadly, our children will absorb our self-absorption; they will vainly follow our vanity. If we are consumed with what others think about how we look, our daughters will learn that self-focus is the way to fulfillment. If we spend exorbitant time and money on our appearance, we are teaching our sons to prize physical beauty above all.

But if we faithfully seek to adorn ourselves with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, we will be a beautiful example to our children. If we spend our days gazing at the beauty of God, beholding him in his temple (Ps. 27:4), we will show our daughters how to find true joy and satisfaction. If we devote our lives to serving others (1 Tim. 2:9-10), we will encourage our sons to love and respect people and to look for a wife who fears the Lord (Prov. 31:30)."

"We need to tell our children of the beauty of God. Let’s talk to them in simple terms about the beauty of God’s character. Even a small child can begin to learn about the beauty of God’s sovereignty over the planets and the seasons and the seas, the beauty of his wisdom in directing our lives, and the beauty of his goodness in the daily blessings we receive."

"Even more important than telling our daughters how beautiful we think they are is telling them how beautiful God is."

"Finally, there are words that are better left unsaid. Drawing our children into negative dialogue about our appearance, “Do you think Mommy looks fat in this dress?” “Mommy wishes she was young and pretty like you,” etc., will only give ungodly shape to their developing beliefs about beauty."