A Letter To My Daughters

To my daughters,

I wish many great things for you in the future.  I hope you all have the most wonderful fulfilling lives imaginable, and I hope I am there to share in your joys and triumphs.

To help get you there, I want to share some advice.  I know it is hard to believe, but I was a teenage girl once too.  I remember how tough it was, so here are some things my mother never told me, and some things I didn’t learn until I was older.  Maybe you will have to learn these for yourselves too, but none the less as your mother I feel I need to share.

For starters Jr. High and High school only last a few short years.  Then they are over.  You will survive them just fine if you remember to keep your nose clean, stay out of trouble, work hard and try to have fun.  Don’t sweat the little stuff; these years are just a small blip in time compared to your whole life.   Things happen, you will have boyfriends and friends, and you will break-up and make-up.   When these things happen trust me, it’s not the end of the world.  Someday you will see life does go on after high school.  When you are a teenager you lack foresight into the future, it’s hard to imagine life outside of mom and dad’s house and the confines of the school.  But believe me, there is life after high school.  So my advice to you in high school is to keep these 2 things in mind: Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to explain to your future children, and all good cowgirls keep their calves together!

Believe in yourself! If you have dreams of doing something, do it.  Surround yourself with people who support you in your dreams.  Never let anybody tell you that you can’t succeed, or you won’t.  Whether it is a boy, friends or family, believe in yourself.  No boy is ever worth sacrificing your dream.  If he’s the right boy, he will be behind you 100%, if not someday there will be an even better one that stands beside you and grabs your hand and says we can do it.  Never give up who you are for somebody else.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.  Be somebody you are proud of.  If you are respectful of yourself, your body and your worth, others will respect you too.  You don’t need to be a crowd pleaser, or go along with the flow to get others to like you.  Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and for others.  Stand up for what you believe in but remember to try to be respectful of others.  Treat others how you would want to be treated, but demand respect for yourself.   

Never settle for less than what you deserve!  Good things come to those who work hard for it, so strive for greatness and don’t be afraid to work for it.  Sometimes we have to trip, fall and pick ourselves up again, but never give up!  Don’t be afraid to take a risk, and learn from your mistakes. 

And above all remember that your parents love you!  Please know that no matter the situation you find yourself in, or no matter how far away you are from us, we will always love you.  If it seems like we are being tough, it’s because we are, and we are tough because we see the greatness in you, and want to help you see it too! 

Love,

Mom and Dad