Kids: “The most beautiful thing about my mom”

Kids perceive beauty differently than adults. As we age, our ideas of beauty shift from how a person makes us feel to how a person looks. Here, a group of kids at a variety of ages weigh in on what they find to be the most beautiful thing about their moms.

With heavy criticism of shows like Dance Momsand Toddlers and Tiaras, there is a lot of attention on kids and how they perceive beauty. However, ask kids about beauty — specifically, what they find to be the most beautiful thing about their moms — and the answers reflect the love the kids have for their mothers.

For example, when his father, Adam Gross, asked four-year-old A.J. what was the most beautiful thing about his mom, he replied, “That’s not a difficult question. She loves me.” Gross mentioned that his favorite part of A.J.’s answer was his sincere tone.

A.J.’s response reflects how most kids responded. To a child, a mother’s beauty comes from her actions rather than her appearance. Just like A.J., siblings Nate, 8, and Katie, 6, both focused on how their mom, Courtney Moore, makes them feel. “The most beautiful thing about my mom is how nice she is to me,” Nate said. Katie chimed in, “She hugs and cuddles with me.”

Two-year-old Giovanni Tilli first told his dad that “everything” was the most beautiful thing about his mom, Cristina. He added, “She picks me up whenever I want.” Like the other kids, Giovanni appreciates his mom taking care of him — picking him up — when he needs it.

Another two-year-old, Bethany Rose Gerbasi Roberts, said with great conviction, “Kisses and hugs. That’s my favorite thing about momma.” Her four-year-old sister Sophia Pearl said, “Snuggles and books.”

Ten-year-old John Parker said that the most beautiful thing about his mom, Katherine, is that she always takes care of him. He mentioned that she gets him up in the morning and packs his lunch every day. “She helps me all the time,” he said. “Sometimes she yells, but she’s nice.”

When asked to talk about their moms’ beauty, the kids spoke not about their physical appearance, hair, clothes or makeup. Instead, every single one of the kids focused on how their mothers made them feel and the ways in which their mothers take care of them. A mother’s beauty comes from the way she mothers her children, and the kids clearly recognize that to be true.

Ask your kids what they find most beautiful about you! There’s a great lesson in this exercise — while it’s easy for moms to get caught up striving to look perfect, their kids value them for their beautiful parenting, not just their outward appearance.

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