Why do I always get asked.....

Abby with her red hair. Yes, it is a genetic trait that has to come from me and her father. No, it's not the focus of her life so stop always asking about it!

There are some questions I get sick of being asked. My main one is, "She has such gorgeous hair, where did it come from?" I have a few standard responses:

1. Her father and my mother have red hair (this is what I say when it's someone nice and older).
2. Her head.
3. Well, one night her father and I decided to have another baby (and people cut me off here).
4. Her genes.

Abby gets lots and lots of comments about her hair. A lot. It really is beginning to bother me. It's not just that it's really focusing on her physical appearance.  It's that it makes her focus on her physical appearance.

In a 30 minute shopping trip (from car to car), Abby's hair was mentioned to her 4 different times. 4 times!!!!!

So now Abby is beginning to equate "pretty" and "attention" with "red hair." She told Nicholas this morning that he wasn't pretty because he doesn't have red hair. Then she told me that only kids with red hair are pretty because everyone "likes" her.

I'm sorry, but an almost three year old doesn't need this pressure. She also doesn't need this focus.

She needs to be focused on being a nice person. She needs to be focused on learning to run and jump and ride a bike. Her idea of being "liked" shouldn't revolve around her hair. There's enough pressure on girls, and women, to look good later in life. She doesn't need the pressure now.

So would people stop pointing out her "gorgeous" hair. Instead say she has a nice smile, or she's being very nice. I don't mind strangers saying hi to my kids. My kids need to learn to be polite to people and say hi back. I do mind strangers focusing on the looks of my kids.