When you see 4-year-old Leila Danai, the first thing you’ll probably notice is her incredibly bright smile. The preschooler is precociously adorable and spunky. Thanks to her mom, Mildred Munjanganja, she’s also full of self confidence.
When Leila started preschool, her mom knew that she would likely be one of the only black children in her class, so she had some conversations with Leila to prepare her for some comments other children might make. One conversation was about what kids might say about Leila’s hair. As bluntly honest preschoolers will do, one of Leila’s classmates eventually did put forth an opinion on her hairstyle.
Fortunately, Leila had listened to and remembered what her mother said about how others might notice that her hair is different.
A recently viral TikTok video Mildred took of Leila shows what her intelligent daughter did when that moment came. In the video, Leila relays to her mom what went down when a boy at school straight up told her that he didn’t like her hair.
@leiladanai I love hearing about Leila’s day! Today she shared how her classmate didn’t like her hair and she replied ‘well I like it!’ – I have never been more proud! I am glad she didnt need anyone’s validation to feel complete, she knew she loved her hairstyle and that’s what mattered. She stood up for herself, she confidently and honestly communicated her point of view and she didn’t allow someone else to affect her self confidence. I am so proud of her – at 3.5years she stood up for herself and didn’t allow the ent to affect her. We will continue to have a democratic household where her opinion matters! We will continue not forcing to do things she does not want to do and allowing her to speak her mind. I will continue to listen, to guide and be an excellent example. I am so proud of Leila! Strong women, may we be them, may we know them, may we raise them! . . . . . . . . . #kidsselfconfidence #diversity #blackhair #blackkidshairstyles #toddler #momanddaughter #toddlerlife #modelface ♬ original sound – Leila Danai
She tells her mother in an adorably excited voice that she responded back to him positively. “I said, ‘I like it!'”
She continues on with her story, energetically telling her mom: “He said, ‘I don’t like that hair — it’s crazy. And I said, ‘My mommy made it. And if you don’t like it, I’ll keep it for myself.”
“I’ll keep it for myself.” YES GIRL!!!
The video is enough to melt the hardest heart into a puddle, and I highly recommend you watch it! Leila’s ecstatic smile and contagious confidence will make your whole day.
Equally sweet is Mildred’s joyful affirmation of her daughter’s response. You can hear the pride in her voice as she tells Leila, “Oh, baby! I’m so proud of you! You stood up for yourself. That’s what matters. What matters is that you like it — it’s your hair.”
In an interview with TODAY.com, Mildred said that her daughter’s emotional intelligence has always been advanced. “She’s always been very emotionally mature and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t modify my language for Leila. I talk to her as if I would an adult — we just talk about age appropriate things,” Munjanganja says. “My goal is to prepare her to navigate the world around her because I can’t always be there to protect her.”
Although the TikTok video only shows us a snippet of Leila’s life, I can’t help but think that this little powerhouse is going to grow up to do big things! A child who knows their worth is not found in the eyes of others is already several big steps ahead in life, and I sincerely hope this isn’t the last the internet hears of little Leila Danai.
