What Girls are Made Of

Baby G in the Flowers: Courtesy of K.I. Photography.

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and spice
and everything nice
that's what little girls are made of

Sunshine and rainbows
and ribbons for hair bows
that's what little girls are made of

Tea parties, laces
and baby doll faces
that's what little girls are made of

Author: Unknown

This past week, Mr. Wonderful and I were given grief by some family members about the fact that Baby G wears hair bows --bows that keep getting larger as she gets larger.  For the life of me, I can't imagine why this would bother anyone.

I think this poem that my grandma used to say to me sums up what I love about having a little girl.  Little girls are different from little boys.  They are, generally speaking, lovers of all things pretty.  They squeal and get jumpy when they see glitter and rainbows.  They giggle and clap when they spin in their fluffy dresses.  They ooh and ah when they see babies.  They like to have painted toes and walk in their mommy's shoes.  And there's nothing wrong with allowing little girls to be girls. Doing boy things with my sons is fun, but getting to experience the sugary and sparkly world of my daughter also brings me delight.

So yes, I suppose I perpetuate my daughter's girly ways by dressing her in fancy dresses and sparkly shoes.  I paint her toe nails and allow her to play with my necklaces and bracelets. I always coordinate her outfits with a matching hair accessory.   I have some how convinced her that sparkly is always better than plain.   And yet, she's not even 2 years old.

Baby G may or may not grow out of the fun, fluffy, girly stage.  She has plenty of opportunities to experience boy activities and sports with her two older brothers. To be honest, she throws a ball better than either of them did at her age.  So who knows, she may be our all-star yet.  But I'm not going to stop having fun raising my daughter as the princess she is just because other people don't appreciate glitter and rainbows and cupcakes. 

We're all entitled to dress our children as we see fit.  As a result, I'm doing my best to keep my opinions to myself about how other little girls are dressed and how their mommies raise them.  I have a different perspective on parenting a little girl than other mothers might have.  I've had my chances to do the boy mom thing for the last 6 years, and it is certainly loads of fun to live in a world of trains and balls and grass stains.  These days, however, I'm truly appreciating what little girls are made of.

Note: If you need recommendations on where to find some fabulous hair bows, please let me know.  These days, I'm somewhat of an expert.