She's NOT Still Pretty

I'm ashamed to say that when Emma was new, I didn't want to take her out in public. I was too afraid of what people might say, or the looks she would get. I was protecting her. Or perhaps I was protecting myself. I am happy to say I have outgrown that stage.

Luckily, most people we have encountered so far just say the usual. She's adorable! Oh how cute! She's so pretty! Etc, etc, etc... There have only been a few people who have even asked about her birthmark, aside from small children, who are naturally always curious. This doesn't bother me so much, I just tell them it's a birthmark, she was born with it - to adults and children alike.

What does bother me, however, is the response that comes back. "Well she's still pretty". I know this statement is not meant to be malicious in any way. I get that. It's just that word there in the middle. Still. Or anyway. Like, "But she's beautiful anyway". No. Just no. My baby is beautiful. Just beautiful. Not beautiful despite anything. Not beautiful even though something. She is just beautiful.

We don't go around telling people that they're still pretty even though they have a big nose. Or they're so cute despite the wrinkles on their forehead. Or their teeth are crooked but they're still beautiful anyway. So what makes her birthmark any different? It's not. And just because it's not something most people see every day, or ever for that matter, it still doesn't make it ok. I don't want her to develop a stigma for her mark. I want her to grow up knowing that she is beautiful, every inch of her.

So please, if you ever see Emma, or any other child with CMN, or any other kind of physical difference to "normal", just say, "You're beautiful."