When I was a young girl, my mother didn’t teach me about my natural hair. I only remember looking at photos of my voluminous curls from when I was a toddler and wondering why my mother relaxed my hair at a very young age. As an adult, I asked her why she wanted to relax my hair and she told me that she couldn’t deal with all of my hair and that it was unmanageable. I remember feeling hurt and confused because as an adult, I love my natural hair and I rock my curls with confidence. So when the time came for me to have my own little girl, I knew that I wanted to educate my daughter on her naturally curly hair and let her know that her curls are are a part of who she is and to always embrace her natural beauty, fearlessly. Here are a few ways that I teach my daughter to rock her curls with confidence.
Positive Reinforcement
My daughter loves watching me do my natural hair. She will sit and mimic what I do, combing her hair as I do mine. My husband and I bought her a children’s vanity because she told me, “I want to do my hair just like mommy.” It warms my heart that my daughter looks up to me and wants to do what I do. I want to set the best example for her and the best way to teach my daughter positive perception is to show her how I feel about my curls. Every time I style her hair we always reinforce that her curly hair is beautiful just like she is.
Reading Books with Curly Girls
I love to read to my daughter and I especially love finding children’s books with little curly girls to help teach her about her curly hair. Our favorite book to read right now is Penny and the Magic Puffballs. In the book, Penny’s mom reminds Penny that her hair is perfect just the way it is despite the differences she may see around her. This book helps me to reinforce what I tell her every day: that her curly hair is beautiful and no matter what other people may say, she has magical Puffs just like Penny!
Involving My Daughter in her Hair Care Routine
I like to make wash day enjoyable by singing songs and having fun to show her that washing and styling her curls aren’t a hassle. I also let her participate by letting her choose her headbands and bows. She loves to look in the mirror when we are done with styling. She always says, “Mommy I am pretty just like you!”
How do you teach your child to love their curly hair?
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