Dear little sister, I wish you all the riches of this world.
I hope that you grow up and never doubt your beauty. Never doubt that the curve of your breasts or the slope of your nose or the swing of your hips. Never doubt that whatever body you have at the moment is the perfect body for you at that moment. Because there are people in this world who will tell you otherwise: magazines will whisper glossy pictures of perfect hourglasses, and television ads will promise speedy diets made of nothing but juice. Block out those voices. I hope that your skin shines with the glow that comes from deep within you — radiant and never ending.
Dear little sister, I wish that you grow up and never doubt your happiness. Never let anyone tell you that your laugh is too loud or that your smile is too bright. Never have to go through life second-guessing every joke you tell or obnoxious giggle you let out. Because there are people in this world who will tell you otherwise: they will seemingly live for the purpose of tearing you down, but you’re stronger than that and you know that their words aren’t representative of who you truly are. I wish that your eyes dance everyday with the mirth of some repressed joke only we understand.
I hope that you grow up and believe that you can do anything. Never be set back by excuses of “girliness.” Never be looked down upon or scoffed at or dismissed because of the simple fact of your sex. Because there are people in this world who will tell you otherwise — tell you that you throw “like a girl” or giggle “like a girl,” and that somehow these things are wrong or bad. I hope that you shatter the glass ceiling so hard that there is no putting it back together.
Dear little sister, I wish you grow up to do something that makes your heart sing. I hope that you get into the college of your dreams and figure out that this is just what you were looking for in life. I hope that even if you aren’t quite sure what exactly that passion is yet that you still push on towards what just feels right. Because there are people in this world who will tell you otherwise — remind you that “only some majors actually get jobs” and that some schools are “better” than others. I hope you follow your dreams instead.
Dear little sister, I wish you all the riches of this world. I wish you every single thing I couldn’t have or wouldn’t let myself have or let the world convince me that I didn’t have. Because there were times I let the voices get to me. And I let them tell me who I was and what I was worth and what I should do with my life. But you’re better than that.
I wish you the stars, little sister, because you deserve them. I wish you the stars.