I am blessed with two children and never had a sister. When I see other parents with girls or my friends so close to their sisters, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have a sister or a daughter. But I wouldn’t change any of the memories I have with my children. Instead, God blessed me with three nieces and my best friend’s daughters, sisters, and granddaughters. They are all my family now. God knew he needed boys but he gave me a little gift of girls so he would know he had the right mix for my life! But what do guys know about having pretty feet and pedicures?
One day, my brothers’ families came to the house for a pool party, when my nieces were still very young. I told my nieces that we were going to get a pedicure. I had to explain what a pedicure was and that we were going to get our toenails painted. I told them we had to have pretty feet if we were going to run barefoot. They were so excited! They pranced all over the place that day to show off their painted feet! Pampering them was fun and I was able to absorb a memory I never thought I would experience. My sons and nephews were playing water basketball and shooting water pistols, oblivious to the girl’s fun!
What I didn’t realize is how this event was etched in their minds forever! I thought it was fun for me, but I didn’t know how this would affect the girls. Now, every time they visit, they ask the aunt to paint their toenails no matter what time of year it is. This tradition is a great gift to me and I was honored to have taught my nieces that beautiful feet are important to outward beauty. Of course, I went on to help them accessorize with jewelry. Your pretty bare feet need jewelry too!
So now, whenever a little girl comes to the pool with her mom or grandma, I pamper her like she’s my own. When they reach an age where they start to love dressing up, the first thing I want to share with them is painting their toenails. All around me, they learn at a young age that beautiful bare feet with a good pedicure, polished nails and barefoot jewelry are just as important as putting on makeup in the morning.
Even though my kids care less about all the ‘Girlie’ things Mom likes, I don’t have to depend on them for the comfort of sister, daughter, or granddaughter playtime. Children have many other ways to love their mom and create memories and traditions. So the next time a little girl comes to visit, treat her to a pedicure and paint her toenails and give her barefoot jewelry to accessorize. He will remember! Maybe you have a tradition and memory like this to share with a girl in your life. Yeah, it’s okay that guys have no idea about pretty feet.
