Mom trying on swimsuits notices 4-year-old daughter in corner of her trial room photo—then has a powerful revelation
Children learn from what they see and experience. However, their personality is shaped by what they observe and understand. A mom named Brittney Johnson revealed in a Facebook post that when she was trying on swimsuits with her 4-year-old daughter named Payton, she snapped a few pictures and made a powerful observation. Connecting the dots with all her previous observations throughout their day together, the mom left an insightful message.
The mom began by recalling how her daughter wanted to be a “diva” everywhere she went, ensuring she had her shoes, sunglasses and baby doll all the time. She then recounted a few interactions her daughter made with random strangers like the barista at Starbucks. Sharing an instance, she wrote, “We had dinner where she told the lady ‘please,' ‘thank you’ and ‘I just love your hair!’” The mom added, “She high-fived the attendant on her way and gave her two extra tokens to a little girl waiting on the side.” The mom just delightfully observed her daughter’s actions as they went shopping.
The mom and daughter were having a fun time trying on suits. “I put on a suit and then a second one and a third one. I snapped pictures of them to send to my girlfriends and say ‘yes or no?!’ because girls are weird and that's just what we do,” Johnson added. She continued to mention that in one of the pictures, she noticed her little daughter trying on one of her swimsuits in the corner. The mom patiently waited to see her little girl's reaction after her fun-filled trial. “She said, ‘Wow, I just love cheetah print! I think I look beautiful! Do you think I look beautiful too?!’” the mom noted.
At that moment, Johnson was hit with a revelation. “She only says what she hears. What she sees,” the mom remarked. Elaborating on the same, she explained that she’d tell her daughter that she was beautiful every day and that’s how she picked up the affirmation. Johnson also retraced the little girl’s actions and realized that everything she did, right from giving up her token to saying “thank you,” were all things she had observed or heard. “She is kind walking through the mall because I tell her she is kind everywhere else. She is polite at the order counter because she hears me when I'm polite to strangers. She compliments strangers because she loves how it feels when she hears them,” the mom exclaimed.
Even with something as simple as a swimsuit, Johnson noted, “There is a split moment when I have the power to say, ‘Wow, I have really gotten fat this year’ or, ‘Wow, I love this coral color on me!’ And those are the words burned into my daughter's brain.” The mom further suggested that the best way to teach someone self-love is by being an example. She added that she didn't have a perfect body but still loved all her imperfections. “As my daughter gets older and faces judgment and criticism, I will always remind her that the girls who look the prettiest in a two-piece, body suit or a Snuggie are the ones who are happy. Because that's all that matters.”
In a conversation with TODAY, Johnson revealed how being honest helps her raise a happy and confident daughter. "I tell her the truth and I tell her she's beautiful, and that's why she trusts me and is confident.”