In Defense of Hair Bows

I know that my daughter is only 3.5 months old.  And I know that she doesn't have much hair.  And I also know that sometimes...to some people...bows on babies can look silly.

Good thing she's not your baby.

I like things to coordinate and match.  In my house, in my office, on my body...and in Natalie's wardrobe as well.  So I'm slowly accumulating a wide range of colors of bows to coordinate with her different outfits as well as baby headbands to attach the bow to her head.

If Natalie is anything like me, by the time she is three years old she will refuse anything girly and instead spend her days with grass stains on her jeans, bruises on her elbows and dirt on her hands.  I'm okay with that.  But I also want her to know that the words "tough" and "girly" are not mutually exclusive.  She can be both.  She can block out under the basket to get a rebound...and she can do it with a bow in her hair.  She can beat all the boys at tag during recess...and she can do it with a bow in her hair. 

It always makes me giggle during volleyball season when the girls are so shocked when I get ready for games.  "Oh wow Coach!  You look so nice!"  They spend most of their days seeing me in athletic shorts, t-shirts, a pair of Nikes and with my hair in a ponytail so they are super surprised to see that I also have a great sense of fashion as well.  :)  Middle school girls are desperate to put people in boxes - it's just part of their development.  I want to show them that not everyone fits into a nice and neat little box.  They can be pretty, be smart, be athletic, be funny, be girly, and be a beast on the court...ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  I want Natalie to understand the same thing.  I don't want Natalie growing up thinking that she has to be "a girl" or "a tomboy" but instead that she can be both - she can play basketball outside with the boys in the neighborhood but then come inside and play dolls.  I grew up following my brothers around playing in the mud with them...but I also loved nothing more than to sit out in the garden room and play with Barbies.

The bottom line is...who cares if I put bows on my daughter's head?  I think it's the finishing touch on her outfit and that she looks adorable.  It doesn't seem to bother her - she keeps them on and doesn't cry everytime I come at her with a headband.  I'm not expecting her to let me do this forever...but in the meantime, she will wear bows because she is my daughter.

Here is a link to a blog that I read, Kelly's Korner on the subject of Southern momma's and our extreme addiction to fluffy bows on babies and little girls.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Natalie enjoying her hair bows.