A letter to my daughter: you do not have to be a ‘good girl’

I hope you will be a kind girl. A funny girl. A curious girl. A girl whose self-worth radiates from her very being. I hope you will be an imaginative girl, a thoughtful girl. A passionate and compassionate girl. I hope you will be a girl who knows when to practice humility. I hope you will be a courageous girl. A loving girl. A gracious and respectful girl.

I hope you will be a girl who loves with her whole self. I hope you will be a girl who understands you don’t have to be everybody’s cup of tea. I hope you will be a girl unafraid of her own heart.

I hope you will be a girl who sticks up for her real friends and a girl who can spot a false friend. A girl who is not afraid to speak her mind. I hope you will be a girl who trusts her intuition, but knows when to use her head instead of her heart.

I hope you will be a girl who loves with her whole self. I hope you will be a girl who understands you don’t have to be everybody’s cup of tea. I hope you will be a girl unafraid of her own heart.

You do not have to be a good girl – whatever, or whoever, that is.

More than anything, my darling, I hope you are a girl who knows she can be all of these, or none of these, and that is okay. That not one of these adjectives can even come close to describing the person you are.

A girl who is content in the knowledge that she does not have to dull herself to make anyone more comfortable – that’s the girl I hope you will be.


Originally published HERE. Haylee Hackenberg is a writer, a pre-service teacher and a mama to two. Striving for gentle, and sharing adventures of their little life on Instagram and Facebook.

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. says: Emma

    Absolutely perfect words!! I have a five year old son who is ‘experimenting with being cross’!! I have no problems with this- he’s talking about his feelings; learning to express himself. Your words are the ones I’m going to show to my disapproving family because I can’t find the right words!!

Leave a comment
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *