All I can say is, you better have rock-solid self esteem before you start to work with kids. I have taught piano for over 27 years now and have been a mother for almost 18. In that space of time I have been asked all sorts of questions that could have caused me to crawl under the nearest rock if I hadn’t had a healthy self image!
“Why is your nose that shape?”
“Why does your tummy stick out?” (This question was asked each of my 8 pregnancies.)
“Why do you wear glasses?”
And on and on the questions go. Children are not trying to be mean, they really are curious and extremely visual. I try to just let the questions roll off and give answers that gently close the subject!
I know that our appearances can be very sensitive subjects. Most women, and my understanding is even most men, are very aware of how they look. And most of us would like to change something about our looks.
It seems to hold true that people with straight hair wish they had curly, and people with curly hair wish theirs was straight. Tall people want to be shorter and the shorter of us wish we were taller. We dye our hair, go to the gym and buy new clothes. The truth is however, God does not make junk!
God designed each one of us. He decided before each of us was born exactly what we would look like. He sees each of us as beautiful, His creation. The world with all its advertising and social media tries to make us think we have to look a certain way to be loved and accepted. This is such a lie. You are most beautiful when you are being yourself, when you radiate the joy you have inside and when you share the love God has given you with others.
So if you also work with curious children, the next time you are asked a question about your appearance, I hope you can joyfully answer, “Because God made me this way, and He made you beautiful too!”
“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14
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