For several months now, Ellis has been obsessed with being beautiful. When I say obsessed, I really mean it. Focused, preoccupied, enthralled - those words don't even begin to express the grip this has on her life.
It started with her hair. The topsy tails, which successfully and fashionably held her growing bangs out of her eyes, slipped into the "not so beautiful" category. This left us with headbands - which do not stay on her tiny head - or "pretties". Barrettes. If I can get the clamp-of-death style ones, they will hold for awhile. Then, throughout the day, they somehow get lost. This usually brings us back to a topsy tail for a few days until we can give it another try. It's also not Rapunzel hair so her hair, in general, defaults to "not so beautiful".
Next came her clothing. Pants, shorts, jeans, and capris all joined the topsy tail in the "not so beautiful" club. It's dresses or skirts - the twirlier the better. She even changes the way she walks when she wears a dress. I decided long ago that clothes weren't going to be a battle unless they were inappropriate so I really let them pick out what they want to wear for the most part. When it's snowing, icing, freezing wind - I require pants. Needless to say, Ellis has felt "not so beautiful" for the past few weeks because of winter weather conditions.
Today, a new one: "The name Ellis is not such a beautiful name." I asked her what she wanted to be called and she said, "Annika". As in Princess Annika from the Princess Barbie cartoons? Regardless of how much I tried to convince her today that Ellis was a beautiful name and that she would probably never meet another Ellis - at least not have one in her class - she is holding strong to that "not so beautiful" stance.
Maybe I shouldn't be taking this so seriously. Perhaps it's just a developmental thing for girls. However, the value she seems to be placing on appearance is a little troubling. In 1 Peter 3 it says,
"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful."
While I know Peter was speaking to women, specifically wives, I can't help but feel God's nudging to start really teaching on this during our devotional/prayer time. I know if I don't enlist the help of the Holy Spirit now this monster is going to grow out of control and take her heart captive.
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