There once was a little girl who sparkled and shimmered everywhere she went. Her mother clapped and cheered along with her flamboyant and eccentric style. The little girl started school but the teacher didn’t like her sparkle. She would often get in trouble and was labeled as disruptive. The other children would laugh and stare, they didn’t like her either. At a loss for what to do she started hiding her sparkle. Only letting it show in the privacy of her own home where her mother would clap and listen. A few more years. and experience showed that any time her sparkle appeared other people would point and jeer. “What kind of child sparkles with such fire, there must be something wrong with this one.” Each time the little girl was reminded why she hides her sparkle.
By the time the teenage years arrived and the sparkle had been long since forgotten. Buried deep inside from all the jeers and laughter. Now, not even at home does the sparkle shine for fear of jokes and ridicule that are constant on her mind. Instead she spends her days doing what other people said was fun and okay.
The little girl grows into an adult made of pieces that don’t belong to her and the shapes of the cruel world. No magic, no sparkle, no time to dance. Now she is off chasing toddlers with no pants.
She doesn’t even think about the sparkle that once was, the special element that she once possessed. Instead she’s stuck in a cycle of life’s endless tests, always cleaning another mess.
The little girl grows older now wearing wrinkles on her face. Her days are now numbered, and approaching another phase. She looks down at her granddaughter who now carries the sparkle that shimmers and shakes. She recalls the days when she carried a sparkle along for the ride. She remembered how she was told that anything of the sort a girl should withhold and hide.
She admired her granddaughter and her sparkly flashy ways. How could anyone else not say the same?
I must protect her so her’s will remain, the grandmother thinks.
I must never allow her sparkle to be slain.
I must protect this essence that I lost
I must protect it at all costs.
Sparkles are good and add a special touch.
They are not made to hide and tuck away out of sight.
Don’t hide your sparkle, let it be shown
Wear it and let it be known.
If people don’t like it why even care
It’s not your sparkle, you’re willing to share.
Wear your weird and wear it with a smile
You will find your people after a while.
Don’t dim your light just to fit in
It’s never a path that will lead you to win.
This wasn’t supposed to end in a rhyme
but I kinda like it so I’m going to say it’s fine.
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This is so beautiful. We all need to be encouraged to be ourselves and shine. Really emotive and fabulous. 👏😍
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Thank you!
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I firmly believe that any society which allows a child’s spirit to be stifled is ultimately bound to wither. Just as surely as one that fails to instill a healthy sense of respect.
History has taught me that—again and again. Whether in the collapse of rigid empires or the quiet decline of communities that forgot how to raise strong, kind children, the lesson is the same: a future built without freedom and respect simply doesn’t last.
I was reminded of this one afternoon when our eldest came home, positively elated. Practically bouncing in his chair, he told us how he’d stood up to a group of bullies at school who were mocking a girl he was friends with.
With shining eyes and a bit too much enthusiasm, he proudly described how he used a quick self-defense move his mother had once shown him, followed by a “tactical maneuver” I had jokingly demonstrated months ago: letting the biggest bully charge at him blindly, only to sidestep and send him tripping over a classroom chair.
He was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
We weren’t.
My wife and I exchanged the kind of look only parents understand—equal parts pride and dread. Because naturally, what followed was a strongly worded message from his teacher about “unruly behavior,” “classroom disorder,” and “setting a bad example.”
It was a strange mix of feelings. The teacher wasn’t entirely wrong. But in that moment, watching our son celebrate not just victory, but defending someone, we knew: the spirit was there.
Now we just had to help him aim it better.
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Thank you for sharing your experience. Being a parent comes with a thousand choices just like you described. How we handle it produces either a positive or negative outcome. Sometimes it’s a difficult choice we must make. It sounds like you and your wife are doing a wonderful job.
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My wife and I raised five daughters. All but one homeschools our 15 grandchildren. Their mothers are trying to encourage sparkle. Thanks for the fabulous post.
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You are very welcome. Thank you for commenting. I hope they find their sparkle.
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