Things I’ll Teach to My Daughter

If I become a mom, I wish I’d give birth to a daughter. I’ll teach her all the valuable lessons I had to figure out on my own. I’ll speak to her kinder so she learns how to be kind to herself, too.

That when she looks in the mirror, she doesn’t tear up questioning her worth. I’ll teach her how to stand up for herself. How it’s okay to raise her voice, fight back when needed, be loud in silence. I’ll tell her that it’s okay to speak softer too. Make her comfortable in her own skin. Let her dye her hair to a color she likes. Grow them long or cut them short. I’ll braid them too if she wants. I’ll help her stand up when she falls to her knees. So she knows that even if the world gets cruel, she doesn’t have to bear its weight all by herself. That sometimes it’s okay to lean on people you trust. But at the same time, I’ll warn her that life gets confusing and complicated and painful. That when things become hurtful, she must learn how to put herself first. That her boundaries are there for her safety. And no one has the right to change her mind to a half-hearted yes when she says no. I’ll show her my bruises and scars, so she learns not to inflict those to others. And she learns how to protect herself from it, too.

// I’ll suffer if I must so she won’t have to

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