About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
Mini-Me
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(Nov.26.09)
Is it just me, or is the biggest compliment you can receive as a mother is to be told that your child looks just like you? By the same token, is it an insult when you tell a girlfriend that their child looks just like their dad?
Over and over I hear, “Your daughter looks just like you!” Store clerks have told me this. Waiters have told me this. Friends have told me this. Each time I hear this, I feel a surge of pride. I glow.
Which is odd, because frankly, when I look at myself in the mirror, I only see flaws. My nose is huge! My eyes are too close together! My head is the size of a pea!
But when I look at my daughter, all I see is the perfect face. Her eyes are beautiful. The shape of her face is so pretty! Her nose is adorable!
Anyway, I ran into a girlfriend on the street a couple weeks ago. She had her daughter with her and I exclaimed, “She looks just like her father! They’re identical!”
“Really?” my friend asked, sounding disappointed. “Are you serious? Usually people say that she looks just like me.”
I could tell immediately that I had said something wrong. What, I wasn’t exactly sure. Her husband is cute! Her daughter is cute! But I backpedaled. “I mean, she looks like her dad from the nose up. The rest of her face looks just like you!” I told my friend, who immediately perked up when hearing this.
I’m not sure how I would feel if people said my daughter looked like her dad. When she sleeps, I can see him in her. At certain times, they have the same expressions. And (yay!) so far, she has his nice ski-slopped nose, as opposed to my thin nose with a bump. She is also super smart with numbers, and I can tell you she didn’t get that from me. I don’t think I’d feel offended however. I’d just pray she wouldn’t have facial hair one day.
But why is it that I feel so proud whenever someone says my daughter looks like me? Honestly, I think Angelina Jolie is one of the best looking women on the planet. But, if someone said to me, “Your daughter looks just like Angelina Jolie,” I seriously wouldn’t feel it would be as much as a compliment.
Do your children look like you or your partner? And, tell me, do you love it when you’re told your child looks just like you? Are you offended if someone tells you otherwise?