Dear Sanibel: Advice To My Tween Daughter...
My oldest daughter Sanibel is officially a preteen! She turned 10 this year and it's been 10 years of loving her and being her mom. She's not a little girl anymore that I can dress in tutus and frilly outfits. I learned how to sew and started a entire clothing line inspired by having her as my daughter. She used to love wearing our tutu dresses and now she really has her own fashion sense. She's athletic, independent, confident, so smart, a kind sister and a loving daughter. I hope she always know how much I love her. She's also inspired me to create a tween collection that I've slowly been working on as you may have noticed.
This is what I would like her to know...
BELIEVE YOU CAN
I once heard a stunning statistic that most girls lose 60-80% of their confidence by the age of 10! I want her to always believe in herself and in her abilities. I hope she never lets anyone else's opinion of her make her change the way she feels about herself. Even my opinion quite honestly. I want her to know she is capable of achieving great things. I want her to know it's ok to be ambitious and be a goal getter. I want her to know it's also important to rest. That it's ok to rest! I want her to know that she can change her mind about her passions and interests too. I want her to pursue her dreams whether they are big or small. Most importantly, I want her to always remember that her potential is limitless and that she has the power to create the life she dreams of.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE
I want her to surround herself with people who uplift and support her in her journey. I want her to be someone too that's good and that her friends also want to be surrounded by because she uplifts and supports others. I want her to use her intuition and notice when things don't feel good and learn to walk away from those relationships.
BE KIND
I want her to give herself grace and be kind to herself. I want her to be respectful, kind and understand others. I definitely don't want her to be a people pleaser but at the same time I want her to understand people go through battles we may never know of. Although I want her to be kind I also want her to prioritize her well being and happiness and not be afraid to say no or speak up.
ENJOY BEING YOUNG
As a little girl I remember taking myself so seriously. I was always worrying so much about my grades, worrying about my parents and wanting to grow up fast so I can become a lawyer and start working. LOL Oh and have kids was up there for me too. But I don't want her to be like me. I really want her to enjoy being present and in the moment. I want her to enjoy being young and live her life to the fullest. I want her to give herself time to enjoy finding herself and what her interests and her passions really are.
DON'T GIVE UP
I want her to know she possesses the strength and potential to accomplish remarkable things, and no one should ever diminish that belief. Above all, I always want her to feel inspired to go after her passions and curiousities, and to persevere in pursuing her aspirations, regardless of their size or scale, regardless of challenges and obstacles. I want her to know she has our support but mostly importantly that everything she needs is already inside of her.
There are so many more things that I want her to know but... there will be a part 2...