Mom gets daughter to say 'I am beautiful' every day — and is blown away by the change in her confidence

Things parents tell their young children might have a huge impact on the child's mind and sense of self. A video a mom filmed with her little girl when she was a toddler and after she was a little older showed how her mom's words influenced the girl's confidence. The girl's confidence kept growing because of what her mom told her as she combed her hair in front of the mirror. Dr. Marie Mansaray-Lahai, who goes by @rie_defined on Instagram, shared her journey with her daughter on the platform. 

“How it started...” the mom wrote in the text overlay of the video as she combed her toddler Linah's hair. “Mommy, is my hair long?” the little girl asked. Mansaray-Lahai told her that her hair was beautiful. “But is it long?” the girl repeated. “Well, yeah,” the mom confirmed after a pause. “Do you like long hair?” The girl answered, “Yeah. Layla's hair is really long, right here,” the girl said. “Oh, hers is really long?” the mom asked. “Yours is just a little shorter, but your hair doesn't have to be long to be beautiful.” The mom did her hair, gently touched it, and said, “Look at that. Girl, that is beautiful.” The woman told her daughter about how her grandmother used to comb her mom's hair when she was younger.

Post that, the mom made her daughter say certain affirmations. "Say, I am...beautiful. From my curly coils to my little toes." The woman wondered, "Do you know what curly coils are?" The daughter pointed at her hair and the mom cheered at the correct answer. In the next clip, Linah was a little older and her mom was doing her hair in front of the mirror again. The mom reminded the girl how she wanted long hair and told her to look at her long hair now. The little girl confidently said her affirmations this time, "I am amazing. I am beautiful. I am confident." She said all of these without needing her mom to say them first. "And..." her mom prompted. "I have long hair," Linah continued.

"This one video transformed our lives in ways we never expected, placing us on what felt like a world stage and confirming my God-given purpose of creating safe spaces for young girls to feel empowered and affirmed," the mom wrote in the caption. "Over time, so many of you have shared how these affirmations have helped heal parts of your inner child. Knowing that something as simple as speaking life into my daughters has brought healing to others is beyond touching." People took to the comments section of the video to appreciate the mom.

@boricua_sunshyn3 wrote, "She is every bit your twin!! Beautiful. I make my boys say affirmations in the morning after their prayers. They also have to tell me something they love about themselves. Has to be new daily!" @itsmie_crea commented, "This is the cutest video I've seen today. It's so cute. Ma'am, I'm sorry to say it like this but you've given birth to a little angel. She's so pure with a beautiful face and soul. It's so sweet." @soulstylebeauty remarked, "Adorable and I can’t wait for these moments with my princess. We do affirmations, but she’s too young to understand."

You can follow Dr. Marie Mansaray-Lahai (@rie_defined) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.