I am afraid
To tell my daughter
She’s beautiful
One mother shared
I am afraid
She will come to believe
That her value
Is only found in her looks
I am afraid
She will become
Vain
Focused on her appearance
Self absorbed
I am afraid
To tell my daughter
She’s beautiful
But is she
Is she beautiful
I asked
When you look at her
What do you see
How do you feel
What do you want to say
Oh I think
She is incredibly beautiful
She fills my heart
She makes me want to sing
But I am afraid
To tell my daughter
She’s beautiful
Your whole body changes
Ya know
When you say
Those different words
In your fear
You shrink
Withdrawal
Look sad
Contained
Stern
In your truth
You expand
Light up
Look excited
Engaging
Available
Your thoughts
Your intentions
Your desires
Have power
They have an energy
They create connection
They effect change
They have an impact on you
On those around you
Your thoughts
Have a power
Even without being spoken
What if
Your fear
To speak from your heart
To tell her the truth
Is creating the very thing
You fear the most
What if
Your fear
Creates the self absorption
You are so worried about
As she grows and wonders
What is wrong with me
What doesn’t she see in me
Why am I not enough
What can I do to be more
What can I do to change
How I look
So that she will see
That I am beautiful
But what about the books
They say
We shouldn’t focus
On the external
Especially with our daughters
We should focus
On the internal value
On their internal strengths
On what they have to offer
That which is more important
Than their looks
Please tell me
How does it make you feel
When someone else tells you
That you are beautiful
What do you see in their eyes
When they let you know
What they see
When they look at you
What do you feel in your body
How do you feel about them
What is created between the two of you
Well of course I do
It makes me feel special
Like magic
Like I can conquer the world
Do you feel
Your intrinsic values too
When someone tells you what they see
When it is reflected back to you
When the truth of what is felt in a moment
Is spoken
Are you more than what you look like
Well of course I do
Of course I am
Oh no
What am I doing
This is so confusing
Yes I agree
It is
We get so much advice
On what to do
What to say
What not to say
There are so many rules
Worries
Concerns
Yes I agree
This can be confusing
Until it is not
What would happen
If we spoke the truth
To one another
About what we see
What we feel
What we know to be true
About what they have to offer
On the inside
And on the outside
What if we threw away the books
Stopped following
The rules
Stayed present instead
To every given moment
And spoke from our hearts
Especially to our children
What might happen then
Life would be beautiful
One mother shared
As her body relaxed
Her mind subsided
Her breath filled her body
Even deeper
As I choose
To let go of the fear
Of what I am suppose to say
What I am suppose to do
How I am suppose to be
Which pulls me away
From the ones I love
As I allow myself
To follow my heart
To tell the truth
In any given moment
Showing my daughter
What it looks like
When fear is gone
What it feels like
To be truly seen
To be truly accepted
To feel beautiful
Myself
I am not afraid
To tell my daughter
That she is beautiful
Everyday
In every way
She is beautiful
