5 Things I Want My Black Daughter to Know

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blog3Yes there is specific advice just for a little girl who is black.

Just to be clear, I am not encouraging the divide that still exists between races. There are just certain things a mother wants her black daughter to know. Things to help her thrive and realize her worth when it sometimes feels like society is telling you otherwise.

1. Your brown skin is beautiful.

2. You don’t have to be better because you’re black. I expect you to be better because of your abilities, not the color of your skin.

3. Your hair does not define you. Yes it is different. And yes it is beautiful. You may wish it were different at times, but every woman feels this way at certain points regardless of race. And lots of women would love to have the texture and beauty that makes your hair uniquely yours.

4. There is nothing wrong with being just black. You don’t have to include your European or Indian heritage to feel more beautiful. You are beautiful enough as black woman.

5. People will always see color and that’s okay. It’s not about “not seeing color,” it’s about loving every single color. We are all a different shade whether we’re white or black. Our differences don’t divide us, they unify us. We’re not meant to be the same. We are all meant to be just as we are. Different and beautiful.

In our culture, there is a huge insecurity so many little black girls have about their skin color, their hair, and about being black. I went through it, and it has taken me 30 years to love these things about myself. I don’t want my daughter, Elind, to struggle the way I did. I want her to love the skin she is in — her features, her body, everything — and know that she is perfect.

Just. The. Way. She. Is.

Different and gorgeous. Truly unique with amazing kinky hair and dark skin. Beautiful and worthy. And above all, I want her to love being black.

 

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Simone Praylow
Simone Praylow is wife and bestest friend in the world to Otis (better known as Odor) and mom to football and soccer loving Grayson 12, competitive cheerleader Elind, 7 and tantrum expert Ozzy Voltaire, 2. She is a native of New Jersey but relocated to Key West and later Columbia. As an overachiever, she believes learning is the best gift she can give her children and spends much of her time teaching her children at home (Grayson attends school, but the learning doesn't end when he leaves the classroom). Simone finds motherhood and family life are most easily managed by having a system in place for homelife, kids' schedules (including learning, screen time and reading) and meal planning. She is an avid reader who finds books are one of the best ways to unwind at the end of the day. She spends a lot of time boxing and at Pure Barre getting her burn on. You'll often find her buried in a book or on Pinterest getting ideas for her next project or yummy meals for the family menu.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Beautiful! My children are biracial and I want them to always embrace BOTH halves of the cultures that make them whole. Their skin color, hair texture, love of certain foods, names, personalities, etc come from the mix of who they are and I always want them to know that they are unique, beautiful, strong and should always be proud of EVERYTHING that makes them who they are.

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