As parents we’re often amazed at how quickly our kids grow up. Time flies. It seems that they were just born a little while ago, and here we are kissing them good-bye on their first day of school or middle school or … Wait.
They might even be a teenager, sometimes too cool to be kissed in public—by their parents, that is. And all we want to do is tell them that we love them, always and no matter what, that they are beautiful the way they are, that we are proud of them, that we believe in them, that we support the deliberate choices they make for their life, that life is a journey, and so much more.
In many ways, our children are like butterflies. They constantly develop and don’t seize to amaze us. But transformation and change aren’t always easy—not for them and not for us. Change can seem scary. Some kids have to deal with peer pressure and bullying. They need to find their own way. And at some point, we need to set them free.
That’s why anything with butterflies is a perfect gift for kids, especially for daughters. A small piece of butterfly jewelry can express everything that we feel for our little (or not-so-little-anymore) girl. It’s a symbol of transformation, change, or love. My favorites are small charms or earrings.
Butterfly Quotes
Here are a few proverbs and quotes I collected. You might want to pick the one that resonates the most with you when you think of your daughter and give her a handwritten card together with a piece of butterfly jewelry.
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.
Live your life like a butterfly. Take a rest sometimes, but never forget to fly.
Until you spread your wings, you’ll never know how far you can fly.
Life is not about having and getting. It’s about being and becoming.
—M. Gonzales
When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been.
But she had wings.—Dean Jackson
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
—Maya Angelou
Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.
—Henry David Thoreau
With a butterfly kiss
and a ladybug hug,
sleep tight, little one,
like a bug in a rug.
Image credits
Header image: © Atelier Sommerland/Fotolia; image #1: © Oleg Gekman/Fotolia; image #2: © STUDEX of Europe GmbH; image #3: © Maribell/Fotolia; image #4: © julenochek/Fotolia