6 Things I’ve Experienced As A Woman That I Hope My Daughter Never Does
Dearest Daughter,
To say that I am scared for your future would be an understatement. I mean, I am afraid of the obvious things — that you will injure yourself, become ill, or simply grow up too quickly. But I am also I am afraid of what the world could do to you; what the world will do to you. You see, right now you are two. You are young and innocent and ignorant, and the greatest challenges you face every day are your indecisions. ( i.e. should you color or play with blocks? Is it a Frozen kind of day or a Finding Nemo one?
But as you get older, the challenges will become more … well, challenging; because with age comes responsibility. With age comes duties and tasks, culpability and liability. And with age comes some harsh realities: realities like bias, prejudice, and discrimination. Realities you will face because you are a woman — a woman in a world where women are not quite as equal as we are led to believe.
Here’s the thing: We’ve definitely made great strides. We’ve acquired the right to vote, the right to work jobs outside our homes, and we have — in theory — been guaranteed equal pay for equal work, the right to choose, and the right to control our bodies. But no matter how far we have come, we still have so very far to go.
I know because I’ve been there.
I know because I am there.
So to you, my dearest daughter, these are the things I hope for you most — the struggles I have endured and hope you never see.
