Mom's Self-Love Exercise for Daughter: 'I Am Smart… I Am Vibrant… I Am Proud to Be Brown'

When writer Alex Elle’s 8-year-old daughter Charleigh came home from school and reported she’d been teased about having dark skin, her mom turned it into a teaching moment — with a lesson about self-love.

“The other day on the bus, my kiddo was being teased about her dark brown skin. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last,” wrote Elle, a Washington D.C.–based author and entrepreneur in a Saturday Instagram post that included a video of her daughter. “This morning we did a little self-love exercise. I wrote some positive things on sticky notes and had her stick them to her mirror one at a time while reading them and saying, ‘I am.’ My daughter is sensitive and I love that about her. As we raise her, we are doing our absolute best to make sure that her sensitivity is matched with confidence and self-pride.”

Further, Elle added, “I didn’t have anyone doing this with me when I was growing up—and I hope it makes a difference as she goes through things that may be hurtful, difficult, and uncomfortable. Our children are our reflection. We must do our best to demonstrate greatness and show up for them.”

Her video, in which her adorable, bespectacled daughter reads aloud self-affirmations including “I am beautiful and black,” “I am smart,” and “I am vibrant,” has been viewed more than 54,000 times. It has more than 2,600 comments, including, “This is so beautiful, I didn’t get to this until after I moved with my dad in middle school and he sent me to a therapist,” and “This video and your daughter are beautiful.”

Elle tells Yahoo Beauty that she decided to do the exercise with her daughter — one that she does with adults, too, through “self-care” sessions she teaches — because “it’s important to give children tools that can assist them in building their character and confidence. Not only for when something bad or uncomfortable happens, but also when they need to lean on themselves. Having gentle reminders to remember and fall back on and keep close by in certain situations. It won’t solve every problem, but it will help with some.”

Elle added a follow-up Instagram post (above) on Monday — already liked more than 13,000 times — thanking people for their support. “I wanted to take a moment and extend gratitude for all the love shown to me + my little one,” she wrote. “The video we shared was a peek into our mama / daughter connection, and I am glad that it resonated with so many. I hope other people, parents or not, can use that self-love exercise as a daily practice.” She added that “we all need reminders of our greatness, and sometimes those reminders must come from ourselves. With that said, many thanks from Charleigh (pronounced Charlie) and me. Representation matters, and I am honored that our #blackgirlmagic touched the hearts of people near and far, from all different backgrounds and walks of life.”

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