I think this great - it is so important to have positive reinforcement about everything!  I think the compliments you came up with are awesome!

I think the older they get and the more their personalities come out the differing compliments in regards to their actions and who they are as people become more natural to compliment.  When they are really little what can you compliment them on... "Oh sweetie, that was the cleanest diaper I have ever changed... good job on being a neat pooper!"  :)  Just teasing there but I think when they are little it all the cute comments are a way of us trying to get through to them from early on how dearly special they are to us and really, really, they ARE beautiful and cute... I still tell my kids that often but I also tell them often how I love how kind they are or how much their helping blesses me etc.  They are a whole person, body, mind, and spirit and I agree with you in that as long as we are building them up and encouraging them in all three aspects then we are helping them to be secure in the love we have for them.

And yes, I am a little conceited about my children I guess... they ARE so beautiful/handsome though that I am biased! :)  It was good for me to hear another mother say, "I often look at her and say "how did you come out of me?"  because I have thought that very thing many a time.  They are truly a miracle aren't they?!

I think it's important that children grow up without being so overly concerned with looks.  Fussing over their hair, their clothes, their looks will only make them self-conscious and worried what people will think about their looks.  My daughter is beautiful, but thank goodness has grown up into a jr. higher who is not "all about" hair, makeup, jewelry, clothes.  She is a girly girl, by all means - but she also knows that what she can DO, and what kind of person she is, is way more important than how she LOOKS.  When I look at the other girls her age, it's just shocking, because they look and act the way we did perhaps our senior year of high school.  11 years old, and eyeliner, makeup, perfect hair, dressed to the nine's, "going" with boys and getting jewelry as gifts from them already. 

I think it's super important to give kids compliments on what they can do, and not much on how they look.  Yes, she knows I think she's beautiful - and she is.  But she's been encouraged to develop her abilities, and to be a kind person with a good heart, and to see through phoniness, which alot of the "looks" stuff is all about in jr. high.  She sings, dances, does gymnastics - and was invited to model - but I nixed it, for the simple reason that I want her to be a strong woman who is confident in what she can do, and want her to know that THAT's what will take her places, not just looks.

Everyone thinks their baby is the cutest and thats that.
My friend's mom gave birth to a little girl and my friend was all, "I used to think babies were ugly but then Angie was born and she is so cute!"
None of us said anything but we thought the baby was pretty ugly. :(
She's adorable now (she's like 4 or 5 now)
My other friend's sister had a baby around the same time my mom had her baby. I never said anything but he would always try to start things by saying "Oh jacob is cuter than your brother blah blah"
Even tho my whole family thought his nephew looked like he had a skin problem or something wrong with him. So I actually put photos of both babies online and did a poll. My baby brother won 47 - 2. HAH!
I remember I girl commented on the poll saying her baby was cuter than both babies. A few days later someone made a forum called "The ugliest general discussion users" and posted up pictures of people who were thought of as ugly among the forum community and the girls baby was in the list. LOL

I can't STAND when people compare babies.  It's so rude.  How horrible to say 'this baby is so much cuter than that one."  Babies may not seem like they understand much, but what if they do understand that?  Plus I just think it's rude to compare either way.

@RoAngie467 - I know someone like that too.  It's annoying.  I mean, it's OK to think your baby is the cutest in the world, but to expect everyone else to think that too??  I asked her to stop sending me those voting invites because I was getting a lot of junk mail from it.

I think parents thinking their children are the "best" is really a built-in mechanism to build confidence and self-esteem in your kids. Of course, you are right - you can be TOO obsessed with their looks and not enough with their accomplishments. But... most parents I know are proud of their baby when they pop their first tooth, take their first steps, learn their ABC's, etc... so I think as long as you're not just looks-obsessed, it's just fine :)

Yup, no need to feel guilty 'coz all moms and pops are proud of their own children. Don't spoil them though!

I have no desire to change the fact that I am concieted about my son.

Hell yeah some parents are conceited about their kids. Parents thinking their babies are adorable.....okay, that's normal. But when it's not a baby anymore, and their reaching 8, 9, 10 years of age....some parents become completely blind to their kids faults. Like failing to respect others. Not knowing how to act in public...things like that. Parents need to start being aware of behavior more so then just the kids looks.

Yes. I work at a learning center and I witness this on a daily basis. Although, I usually don't find fault in them; they just excessively love their children, and shouldn't love always be to an excess?

It does get a tad annoying when some pushy mothers pass a disapproving glance thinking I will be attracted to & flirt with their premature sons, being that I'm a female. But I guess I can't blame them either because I have been attracted to some, haha.