Have you ever found yourself trying to think of ways to be more beautiful? You probably have. We live in a society that is obsessed with beauty, so this is a normal thought that many people experience. The question of how to become more beautiful is one that comes up time and time again and it leaves people chasing the things that they think will make them truly beautiful, such as different brands of clothing, makeup, hair care products, etc. However, are these things what really make us beautiful? The question of being beautiful is one that has been around for a long time and is not going to be going away anytime soon, as you probably know because it has most likely been a question that you’ve spent a lot of your life wrestling with. If you have spent this much time and effort on thinking about what beauty is and how to achieve it…have you ever thought about how often your child is wondering the same thing?
Kids want to be beautiful too. As parents, it is our job to help guide them as they figure out what beauty means to them and how they too can achieve it. While beauty can look different across different cultures and lifestyles, there are some core traits that you and your children can follow to be not only beautiful, but BEAUTIFUL regardless of your culture or lifestyle – and in teaching your children these traits, you are setting both them and yourself up for a BEAUTIFUL life.
To be truly BEAUTIFUL is to be:
B – Bright
E – Encouraging
A – Appreciative
U – Unique
T – Trustworthy
I – Inclusive
F – Fair
U – Unapologetically YOU
L – Loving
So, what does all of this really mean? We’ve broken each trait down for you so you can understand how to be truly BEAUTIFUL and teach your child how to be beautiful, too.
B – Bright
Everybody is smart in their own ways. When raising your child, make sure they know that they are smart too. Knowing that they are intelligent and capable can do a lot for their confidence and can lead them to putting in the effort to live up to their potential. Help them to discover just how bright they are and make sure they know that brightness is BEAUTIFUL!
E – Encouraging
Too many people in our world are filled with envy. To be truly BEAUTIFUL means to set aside the envy and instead, encourage the people around you. Teach your child they should not knock down other people’s accomplishments to make themselves feel better because it simply will not work. Instead, teach them to celebrate other peoples’ success and encourage them to keep doing the best they can – in being encouraging, your beauty comes out.
A – Appreciative
Gratitude is key to living a beautiful life. What you are being given loses its meaning if you are not appreciative of it being given to you. Being able to appreciate both the big and the little things in life gives you a chance to radiate your beauty in the form of gratitude. Teach your children the value of being appreciative and they too can let their beauty show.
U – Unique
One of the amazing things about being human is that everybody is so different. No two people are exactly alike, meaning that we are all unique. No one in the world is just like you, meaning you are free to make this life what you want. Same for your children, they are unique human beings as well. Own the chance to be unique and mode this behavior for your children, for in uniqueness you can find true beauty.
T – Trustworthy
Just as it is important to be encouraging to others, it is also important to be trustworthy. People will be able to feel your beauty if they feel that they can trust you to be their friend. Teach your child to be there for their friends to not judge or mock them for who they are. Be there for those around you and stay trustworthy. Your relationships will blossom beautifully and in turn, so will you.
I – Inclusive
As mentioned before, everybody is unique- that’s one of the really cool things about our world. It is important to recognize this uniqueness both in yourself and in others, to embrace and even to celebrate the diversity of the people in your life. Be inclusive, allowing people different from you to know that they are welcomed by you regardless of your differences, and teach your children to do the same. Being inclusive and accepting of other people will show your true beauty in ways that other traits fall short.
F – Fair
While it is important to be inclusive of those different than you, it is also very important to be fair as well. We preach the importance of fairness to our children for years, but do we ever stop to explain to them what this really means? We are all created equal and a beautiful person knows this to be true. Teach your children to not consider themselves to be above anybody else and to not give leeway to some but not others – instead, teach them to be fair all around, giving the same consideration and treatment to all of those around them. By being fair to all, you’re showing how BEAUTIFUL you really are.
U – Unapologetically YOU
You are your own person, as is everyone else. Be unapologetically YOU. Do not feel ashamed for who you are or what you feel – instead, own it. Be who you are and do not apologize for doing what you feel is right for you. Teach your children to be proud of who they are and to never feel the need to apologize to others for being themselves. A truly BEAUTIFUL person embraces who they are and owns it – they don’t apologize to others who cannot see their beauty.
L – Loving
Finally, be loving. There is too much hate in this world already- do not contribute to that. Instead, offer the world your love in all that you do and teach your kids to do the same. Love yourself, the people around you, and your life for all that it is. With enough love, people blossom (you included), so be there to supply it to everything and everyone in your life. Radiating love is radiating true beauty.
There are many ways to be physically beautiful, many of which people chase for years of their life – but make sure you do not stop there. Instead, strive to practice these values so that you too can be BEAUTIFUL in all that you do and so that you can teach your children to be BEAUTIFUL as well. Together, all of these traits combined with create a BEAUTIFUL life for you and your children.