Youre Beautiful – Because I say So
What parent would be moved to change their child to make them prettier? Not this one
In my 11 seemingly endless years as a parent, Ill admit Ive made some mistakes.
I probably didnt secure the child seat properly every time I put it in the car. I have been known to hit a fast food drive thru when vegetables would have been so much better. I might have helped a little too much on a particularly difficult homework problem.
But I have never, ever even considered filling my beautiful boys head with Botox. And if I had a girl child, Im pretty sure I wouldnt have tried it on her either.
Kerry Campbell apparently thinks a little freshening up of her 8-year-old daughters face isnt such a bad thing, especially when it comes to beauty pageant prep. I think Kerry Campbell might be injecting Crazy Juice into her brain. And it seems now that her local family protective services agrees.
Upon hearing this story last week, my first reaction was what 8-year-old girl has wrinkles? My second question? What 8-year-old girls mother checks her daughter for wrinkles?
Its the season of beauty, what with all the proms and the yearbooks and the senior pictures and weddings. I was thinking about Kerry Campbell as I looked through The Nippers freshly printed yearbook. The girls in his class are adorable, not in a Gisele Bunchen way, of course. What makes these young ladies so adorable are the crooked bangs, the still-new glasses, the teeth that have not yet aligned, the tomboyishness of some, the girliness of others.
The boys are adorable in their own goofy ways.
And some day, sooner than later for some, theyre all going to blossom in their own unique ways. It happens. They turn from children to tweens, to teens and eventually into fully formed adults. Some, like The Nipper, are going to have a scar or two (Nippers came from a tumble down the hill through some old drainage tile), others will boast perfect skin and great hair.
Kerry Campbells daughter is going to arrive at adulthood with a frozen forehead. And maybe the frozen forehead works for Nicole Kidman, but its not something Id expect a mother to encourage. Any mom will tell you her children are perfect just the way they are. I think my mom would have said that when I was a kid (of course, it was Mom who was responsible for my crooked bangs, so what else could she say?)
I dont get moms like Kerry Campbell. Ive watched Toddlers & Tiaras, although Im not really proud to admit it. Its sort of like a car accident: you dont want to look, but some sort of sick curiosity takes over and you cant help yourself. Im all about playing dress up, messing with Moms make-up and hair tools.
But seriously? Thousands of dollars and ridiculous ways to perk your contestant-child up. The crying, the false veneers, the sexualization of the pre-adolescent child. Is that good parenting? What message do kids like Kerry Campbells daughter get? Mommy loves you, but youd be even better without that nasty mole on your cheek?
Graduations are starting. Some kids will give their valedictory addresses. Others are accepting college scholarships. Some are looking to start jobs. Every single one of them had to work to get that cap and gown. It had nothing to do with their looks. Where they go, what they do will have very little to do with whether they are prematurely wrinkled.
Look back through history. Sure, its no sin to be beautiful, but many of the worlds leaders, movers and shakers would not have made the cover of Vogue. What could be worse for a child than trying to change them, to homogenize them into the perfect ideal somehow burned into their parents minds.
The Nipper has my facial features. Unfortunately, he also seems to have my temper. But he also has his fathers sense of humor and his ability to see good in and love all things, great and small.
And, of course, hes gorgeous just the way he is. But what do I know? Im just his Mom.
Wooster Weekly News columnist Tami Lange can be reached via e-mail at tam108@hotmail.
