Shirley

When I was a teenager, I discovered Shirley Temple and promptly fell in love. I hoped I would have a darling little girl just like that someday. I even invested in several VHS movies so that my little girl could enjoy the magic of Shirley. Well some years later, when we were going through our VHS tapes and paring things down, I think I may have finally caved and given them away. Which made perfect sense at the time, since we don't even have a VHS player!

Since then I had forgotten all about it. And then . . . came Grooveshark. We were listening to music one day and I played "On the Good Ship Lollipop" for Amalie. She loved it. Then I showed her a YouTube video of Shirley singing and dancing and she fell in love.

We talked about getting sponge curlers so she could have curly hair like Shirley, but weeks passed and it wasn't until her little friend Winnie showed up to Joy School with a Shirley Temple mop courtesy of Sponge curlers that finally motivated us to go out and get some.

Oh man, I just die looking at her with that curly hair. She is so adorable. Everyone comments on how "beautiful" she looks with her curly hair.
HOWEVER . . . we have had some interesting situations lately. One day I walked into the bathroom where Amalie was primping. I can't remember how it happened, but she said, "I hate people who are prettier than me!" I sat there with my mouth gaping. What?

Then she added in a haughty tone, "I just say to them, 'You're not pretty, so HA!'

This was followed by a teaching moment from me, which I don't think went over so well. I told her that Heavenly Father loved everyone, no matter how pretty or ugly they are and that didn't she think He would want her to be nice to everyone? But her answer was no.

I also probed to find out what she qualified as pretty. Apparently pretty to Amalie is defined as curly hair, jewelry, sparkly clothes, and make up. Or in other words, this:
So, now here comes the task of helping her to focus on developing her inner qualities and to curb her jealousy.

I think I finally understand why my Mom used to say" I would love you even if you got hit by a Mack truck," -maybe she didn't say it quite like that, but what she was trying to say was that she would love no matter what I looked like. To me, I was just like 'What?' But now I get it, when people are constantly telling your overconfident daughter she is a princess and how darling she is, it goes to her head FAST!

Amalie will definitely keep us on our knees. And rolling on the floor laughing with all the funny things she says.