Dark Clothes, Funky Hair, and that Tongue Ring!

Dark clothes, funky hair, and that tongue ring! What's happened to my child? Absolutely nothing has happened to my child other than a freedom to express her self. I have always taught my children to be themselves, and to not allow the outer exterior to suffocate their inner self.

So, my daughter chooses to wear dark colored attire. I often wear black clothing because it's slimming and most flattering for my body type. Does that make me a freak or weird? No, it makes me conscious of my body image. For my daughter, she just likes how she looks in it--guess you can say we reason the same way for color choice in clothing. Unfortunately, society would sooner judge her as a deviant freak before they would actually sit down and get to know her inner brilliance.

So, my daughter chooses to have a funky hairstyle or hair color. I often dye my hair to hide the grey strands that sometimes beg to give away my age, or I get that sexy sophisticated hair cut because I desire a younger me every time I glance in the mirror. Does that make me a freak or weird? No, it makes me conscious of how I look and clever with ways to conceal my age. For my daughter, she just likes the way a hairstyle fits her face or brings out her eyes--guess you can say we like our ability to change. Unfortunately, society would sooner judge her as a teen that gets in trouble all the time, even before they tried to get to know her and find out she is compassionate, intelligent, an advocate for human rights and animal rights, and she's charitable.

So, my daughter has a tongue ring. I have sported six earrings in each ear since I was 16 and my piercings are visible, while my daughter's, at first glance, is not seen. Does that make me a freak or weird? No, it reflects a teenage phase that happened to stick and become almost acceptable in society. You hardly find a female who has less then two earrings in each ear these days. For my daughter, her piercing is part of her teenage phase, but as more time passes, it has become more acceptable. You now even see adults sporting tongue rings and all sorts of piercings--guess you can say she and I experienced similar teen phases. Unfortunately, society still wants to label her as a weirdo or someone you need to keep a close eye on. However if you really want to keep an eye on her, ask to see her photography portfolio, because she's quite an artist with dreams, hopes and aspirations to do wonderful things with her photography skills.

So, what happened to my daughter? She is growing up into that fine, well-adjusted adult I had hoped she would. She has convictions and passions, goals and challenges, hobbies and ethics, and she is anything but a freak, or weird, or a deviant. Like the old saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover", and how true this phrase rings out. Because if we were to judge every book by its cover, we may truly miss out on the experience of learning what is inside.