I think it's just an ingrained thing in people. People just love to gush about babies. And they will gush over whatever they can think of. If it's not about how cute the baby is, it's about how smart. If it's not about how smart, it's about how big and strong. If it's not how big and strong, it's how tiny and squishable.
Someone commented about it stopping as kids get older, and it does decrease the older they get. If your child has something "unusual" about how they look such as super curly hair, really clear blue eyes or something like that, people will comment a little more, but really, I don't think it has THAT much of an affect on the child.
I am one of those people who is COMPLETELY against society's obcession with looks. I refuse to wear makeup, I didn't want my dd to wear makeup for the longest time (she's 14) and I was so upset when the first line of a parenting magazine I picked up once was about losing weight, I actually wrote to them to express my disgust. But, I think when it comes to strangers telling babies and toddlers that they are beautiful, I don't think it's going to have all that much of an effect on them.
Someone commented about it stopping as kids get older, and it does decrease the older they get. If your child has something "unusual" about how they look such as super curly hair, really clear blue eyes or something like that, people will comment a little more, but really, I don't think it has THAT much of an affect on the child.
I am one of those people who is COMPLETELY against society's obcession with looks. I refuse to wear makeup, I didn't want my dd to wear makeup for the longest time (she's 14) and I was so upset when the first line of a parenting magazine I picked up once was about losing weight, I actually wrote to them to express my disgust. But, I think when it comes to strangers telling babies and toddlers that they are beautiful, I don't think it's going to have all that much of an effect on them.
