I am a woman of average height (alright already I'm 5'4" when I stretch but in Asia that makes me tall!)
I am the mother of a daughter who is very tall for her age. Check out the photo of her playing twister below. She will be seven in August. It's fairly hard for me to cuddle her these days. Growth charts predict she will be at least 6 feet tall.
Having heard from some of my taller friends that life can be awkward as a tall woman, I've begun encouraging her in any of her girly pursuits, I often tell her how regal and elegant she is. Tonight she told me, "Mom, I'm not regal my parents were married - you should know!" ::snort:: But I'm planting seeds.
Barb, herself a tallish woman, hadn't seen Stacia in about 4 months (like the new feather she's sporting - she waited nearly a year for it). She commented on how much Stacia has grown. She was about to tell Stacia how tall she's gotten when Stacia said, "I KNOW - I'm BIG." As Barb and I talked she verified I was on the right track. When a young girl hears, "You're big for your age!" She doesn't hear, "I'm tall, I'm elegant, I'm regal." She hears, "I'm BIG, I'm FAT, I'm a CLUTZ."
Might we more carefully consider the words we speak in a child's presence?
I HAVE and WILL teach her about inner beauty, being comfortable with herself et al....but I do think I will be much more careful in the future about the words I use to describe young kids in their hearing...they pick up on them young. LOL
Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...