Mirror, mirror on the wall…Or do you have them all around?

Imagine a home in which no mirrors exist. How would the children
there know what they looked like? How would they know to accept their
natural and God-given physical characteristics? What if their only
comparison meter was based on what they saw inside magazines, on
billboards or on DVD covers?

This may seem a bit far-fetched but it
impresses the point: mirrors are a valuable asset to your home and to
your child(ren). Not for the purpose of vanity but rather – for the
purpose of self awareness, self esteem and self interaction.
When I was a nanny I quickly realized that babies love looking in the
mirror. They would make faces, coo and laugh. I’d play games with them:
“Who is that? Is that Jessie? Yes! It is Jessie!” I’d point to the
eyes, ears, nose and mouth, naming each body part. The kids loved this
game and of course, I have carried that on with my own children.

It was especially important to me that my first son could interact
with mirrors. After his right eye was
removed a large scar remained for many months. I wanted him to know
that he was lovely and amazing…even with that scar. I often held him
up in front of the bathroom mirror and said, “Look! Look at that
beautiful boy of mine! Does he know how much I love him?”

Back in January I found a brand new bathroom mirror/cupboard at our
local thrift shop. I brought that home, knowing my husband and I wanted
to replace the old mirrors that were currently hanging. We pulled the
old ones down and my husband said, “Okay – let’s drop them at the thrift
store.” I replied, “No way! These are perfect for placing around the
house for the kids to use!” He thought I was a bit nutty until he
watched them interact with the mirrors. Now…he thinks the concept was a
great one.

Check it out…

Here is our daughter, utilizing the hallway mirror. She is studying
her toes:

She is singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” here, watching her hand
motions in the mirror:

Here, she is talking and giggling and playing a game: “Hi. I’m Sammy!
Do you want to play with me?”

We placed a foot-stool next to the bathroom sink. That way, the kids
can climb up and look in the mirror when wanted:

We placed this mirror piece in the bedroom. The kids like to walk by
and put their fingers up to the glass. Sometimes they dance and sing in
front of this mirror, also (there is more space to move around in this
room):

I have a hand-held mirror in the bathtub for the kids. They love to
watch the water roll down the glass (during a shower) as their faces
begin to blur behind the drips. My daughter will giggle and laugh as she
talks to herself in this mirror.

We also have a full-length mirror behind the bedroom door. We have never
encouraged the kids to say things like: “You are so pretty.
You are so good looking. You are so attractive.” Instead, we simply put
the mirrors out and allowed the kids to find them. They quickly realized
that the mirrors were a toy of sorts – a game – an item to engage with,
laugh with and explore.

Inadvertantly, their self esteem is boosted by seeing who they are,
embracing that and engaging with what they see.

ABOUT the Author:

Shara Lawrence-Weiss is the owner of Mommy Perks, Kid Perks and
Personal Child Stories. She has a background in early
childhood, nanny work, published freelance, marketing and
special needs.