1. Your First Kiss (this one’s a given)
For most of us, our first kiss was as awkward as watching the sex scenes from Sex and the City with our moms. If it wasn’t, kudos to you. A young girl’s first lip-to-lip embrace with her crush is a frightening and usually unpleasant experience. Some of us wondered: Where do our lips go? Do I use my tongue? What do I do with my tongue? What if I’m a bad kisser? What if he’s a bad kisser? What if he bites me? Do I close my eyes? And where do my hands go? And our noses? Your future daughter is likely to wonder similar questions. Save her the constant worry and tell her about your first kiss. She’ll either gain knowledge about where her nose goes, or she will feel less embarrassed by her first kiss encounter after learning that yours went similarly.
2. Your First Car Accident (and/or second, third, etc.)
It’s safe to admit in this day and age that us women are as horrible at driving as men are at picking out jewelry for us. Our inability to drive well has been recognized universally, and it is likely that by the time our daughters are of legal driving age, the majority of us will have gotten into a car accident. Even the least severe car accidents can be traumatizing. It is important to pass on this memory so that your daughter will understand from second-hand experience how crucial it is to be a cautious driver.
3. Your First and/or Worst Broken Heart
This is probably the most important memory of all that you must hold close to share with her, and I doubt it will be a hard one to forget. You must remember how you convinced yourself to stop crying, get out from under the covers, put on red lipstick, and go out to meet someone new. How you stopped waiting to hear from him, regained your independence, and coped with being alone. How you realized you didn’t need him to be happy, and that you were better off without him. Remembering these crucial details will give your daughter the hope that she will desperately need when her time comes.
4. The First Time Mother Nature Called
No girl forgets the details regarding this memory. Maybe you were at gymnastics class in your leotard with a male instructor, or switching classes at school, or sitting on your 7th grade boyfriend’s bed, or at a pool party sitting on your towel when Mother Nature first called. No matter where you were and what you were doing, it was most likely a traumatizing event in your life and will be for your daughter as well. No matter what your story, be sure to exaggerate embarrassing details and/or add some for her sake. She’ll feel better knowing, (well thinking), that your experience was worse and you still survived to see the next day.
5. The Day You Met Her Dad
Whether it ends up being at The Strip on a night you drink too much, Brooklyn Water Bagel after a night of drinking too much, Publix where you spent a fortune on five items, work, class, or after college in a new city, I’m sure you’ll be able to remember bits and pieces of your first encounter with your future husband even if you don’t start dating until years after meeting. This is a sappy one, but as females we can be sappy, and every girl wants to hear how her parents met.