~Bona Vita~

Girls love to accessorize.   From an early age you can see that they are hard-wired to enjoy jewelry, shoes, purses, and makeup.  What little girl doesn’t enjoy playing dress-up to some degree?  As they get a little older, they become more concerned with what they are wearing.  Then, as they move into the double digit years, they begin to take interest in lip-gloss and powder.  It just progresses from there.

We are blessed with four daughters.  They enjoy accessories, clothes and makeup.  One is so young that she is just in the playing stage.  I think it is delightful that they are concerned about their appearance.   I have used this as a spring board to train our daughters about proper hygiene and manners.  After all, how can one begin to wear makeup and beautiful jewelry if they do not understand the importance and function  of soap, water, shampoo and toothpaste?

I have found that girls need training in the area of personal hygiene up into their early teen years.  Girls between the ages of 9 and 13 really struggle in this area.  They are beginning to care for their own personal needs. However, they often require more specific instructions and follow-up than one might think.

Make certain your daughter is washing her hair correctly.  Does her hair shine and look healthy?  I have washed my daughter’s hair in the sink when I found that she needed additional instruction in this area.  It was fun.  She felt like she was at a salon as well as having a lesson.  Consider similar situations that would allow you to encourage and train your daughter.

More importantly,  we have instilled in our daughters the importance of outward beauty and accessories being a reflection of their heart.  If one is sullen, angry, unhappy or bitter, there isn’t any amount of makeup or jewelry that will cover up these attitudes.  Whatever is on the outside must be an indication of what is on the inside.  Teach your daughters to accessorize their hearts first.

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” – Prov. 31:30

Tags: parenting

This entry was posted on Friday, June 20th, 2008 at 7:28 am and is filed under Family and Children. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.