As you know, I work with young children. Every morning at school one 3 year old little girl, Charlotte, walks in my room, smiles brightly and twirls in her newest pretty little skirt. She waits for my gushing compliments about how beautiful she looks or how I love the new skirt or her hair. I often wondered myself if I, and society in general, talk too much about how cute little girls are and not enough about other more substantial {for a 3-year-old} things. Sometimes this talk really bothers me and I try to avoid the clothes and hair talks with these girls. And rightly so, says Lisa Bloom, author of Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World.
Bloom says that these comments teach girls at a very young age that their most important attribute is their appearance. The ABC News even reported that nearly half of three- to six-year-old girls worry that they are fat. I find that completely absurd and disgusting. Children should enjoy a careless childhood filled with friends, fun and lots of treats, not be worried about counting calories. I find that absolutely disturbing.
While I know I am guilty of this on occasion, I am going to try harder to connect with my little friends in a different way than complimenting their appearance. We'll talk books or movies or games, anything but clothes.
Read the Huffington Post article about Bloom's new book here. And tell everyone you know to compliment a little girl's brain, not her clothes.
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