Beauty is in the Eye...

I got a comment on my last post. It said something about me needing to rub dirt on my girl's faces because they might get kidnapped. What she meant (just in case you do not follow Balmanno humor) was that my girls are very pretty.

Preface:
Everyone thinks that their babies are gorgeous. The most beautiful in the world. We all think this. We all KNOW this is true about our own babies. We have to. It is one way that Mother Nature or God (or whatever you believe) helps us to bond to our little ones. You love them with all of your heart and you could never believe that the one you love so much is hideous.

Story:
When I was a teenager (actually starting at age 10) I would make fun of ugly babies. I know! I know! I am a horrible person. If there was an ugly baby around I would point it out, laugh, cry, make jokes, and stare. So when I got pregnant with Adam I was sure God was going to curse me with an ugly baby. I deserved it, right? After all of the pointing and laughing at the ugly babies he had to teach me a lesson. I remember crying and worrying for months until he was born. When he was born the first thing I asked the nurses was, "Is he cute?" They laughed and answered me that of course he is adorable. I did not believe them. I saw him for a brief drug hazed moment and then he was gone. When I got myself together enough to see him again I saw how gorgeous he was. But then I stopped and thought what if he really is ugly? I would never see it or believe it because he is the most beautiful thing in the world to me. It did not matter if he was hideous, I would think he was beautiful anyway.

I went through this with all 4 of my kids. Worrying that they would be not pleasant to gaze upon. Each time the nurses would assure me that my baby was beautiful. (I am sure they are told to say that to people.) And each time I agreed that they were. Now were they really pretty babies, or just mother's love made them beautiful in my eyes?

I have met many women who gushed about how beautiful their children were and then when I saw the kids I thought... "really? How can you think that?" Sometimes I still do this. In my mind of course. (Sorry! If that offends, I am just being honest.) Then I think about how I feel about my children and I understand.

Post Script:
*Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I may think my children are gorgeous, and you may not agree, and vise verse. But does it really matter how someone else feels about the beauty of your children? No it doesn't.

*But all that doesn't matter anyways because my babies are damn pretty.