Mommy's Project 52:46 Beautiful

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
― Franz Kafka

 The other day while we were at the dentist, while Ethel obediently opened, closed, smiled, turned this way or that, and sat still in the chair for her cleaning, my son was walking around playing with his car.  One would have thought he was in another world the way he carried on making noises and walking aimlessly.  

I believe this was one of my lucky days when I had the luxury of a shower, which is not all too common on the days I work from home.  I'd let my hair air dry, could feel a few awesome pimples starting to surface, and was limping from the pain in my hip (another entry altogether right there).  Needless to say, in the frenzy of trying to get the kids out of the house, make sure my work was not left undone, and make it to the appointment on time, I really hadn't done much to bolster my appearance.  I don't have to have make up on before leaving the house.  I'm lucky we're all dressed, forget make up.  Vanity is not at the top of my list.

Perhaps that's where Ethel gets her sense of style.

As I stood in the dental exam room with Luke wandering in and out with his car, suddenly all his sounds stopped.  He stopped moving.  He turned and looked at his sister.  He turned and looked at me.  The thoughts in his head were swimming around in his head, and I could almost see the wheels turning up there as he turned from his sister to me.

I love you, Mommy.

You're beautiful.

{insert cute grin, tilted head, and shy shoulder turn}

Both kids are sensitive and emotional in vastly different ways.  Fred is still snuggly and needs hugs and kisses for reassurance and comfort.  Ethel simply has outbursts when she's exhausted.  I think she's secretly a teenager and somehow I lost about 6 years of time to a few boxes of wine.  Either way, this statement from Fred is something I hear from him rather often, and it always makes me feel good.

Seeing beauty through the eyes of a child is so refreshing and truly something that we adults can learn from.  Fred thinks I'm beautiful (or he just pooped in his pants and is trying to butter me up) even as I stand in a dental office with bad lighting, messy hair, and no make up.  Kids have a fresh perspective.

He did not tell me I was beautiful on this
hot day after a race

One of the things I love most about kids is how they can make you feel beautiful, even when you're not feeling beautiful.  My son is well versed in making Mommy feel beautiful.