To My Daughter

I wrote this recently, and a friend and fellow psychiatric hospital worker asked me to post it here. She told me that the groups she has led using it have responded very well to it. I hope you all enjoy. It is called "To My Daughter."

My precious daughter:

I will never call you beautiful, that

ugly, caging word, but

I will call you strong,

confident, resilient, unafraid

to speak

your mind.

I will never call you cute,

but clever, and

laugh at your quick wit, your

darting smile.

I will never call you Darling—

instead, be Daring.

Take risks, climb

mountains, be unafraid

to lose.

You will never be my Princess, but

you will be my

Adventurer.

Face your battles, slay your

dragons, save

yourself.

Don’t be sweet—be

smart, learn the

whys and the hows, and

question

everything.

Don’t let me call you perfect—make

mistakes, throw

tantrums, be

human, be

you.

As I watch you breathe,

slow, soft, I

marvel.

I marvel at

your smooth skin, your delicate

lips pursed

in sleep, your

downy hair that I

feather

trembling fingers

through.

Oh, my precious, precious daughter,

I will never call you beautiful—

Even though

You are.

Instead, I will call you

Free.