Dear Little Girl,

Adjust your pigtails, my little love, tighten them, and brush the loose wisps of hair out of your face

Wash then dry your hands on the skirt of your dress

Crunch the last of the lollipop and toss the stick

Coz, honey, it’s fighting time.

Look in the mirror, and study your innocent rounded face

But do not grow too fond

For a boy will someday hurt you so badly that it will twist and contort until it is unrecognizable.

(I’m not sure, but I think the uglier the face, the more cathartic the release of tears. You try it out.)

Now, pull up your socks, and buckle your belt way past waist high

So that you may practice stomaching low blows

Thrown by ones that you once (g)loved.

Spit on the ground!

(I’m not sure what for, but tough guys do this, and they’re great role models.)

What? No.

No, I did not just roll my eyes.

Man up, little girl.

Nobody likes a sucker.

Swallow your fear and don’t tell a soul that you believe your teddy bear has feelings

Because they’ll look at him with eyebrows raised

And you will have no proof.

Sing under your breath,

You and I know that gives you strength

Whatever makes Mama feel closer than she really is,

You’re allowed.

And when the lights are out at night, my angel,

Dig, dig deep.

Tie fairies wings to the edges of your hurt

So that with sleep, starlight, and your permission,

They might fly your pain someplace far from here.

Man up, little girl. You have to.

Until a real man recognizes the tiara on your head is not make believe.

~

 You are loved.

-s.

Spend as much time as you can with your family.

No matter how weird, crazy or dysfunctional you think you might be as a unit, you will miss them when they are not around.

-E

Dear Little Girl,

Someday, you will experience heartbreak.

You’ll go through a messy break up. You’re dream job won’t work out. Someone you care about will pass away.

When this happens, little girl, you TRAVEL.

See the world. It’s bigger than you can imagine but smaller than you think.

You’ll come home a new person. Everytime. That’s a promise.

-E

Dear Little Girl

Remember those fairy tales you so dearly love?
Yes, that’s right.
The one with the happy endings and happily-ever-afters
Pay close attention to how the story unfolds
for hidden amongst the tiaras, glass slippers and
fairy godmothers is a life lesson to be learnt.

The path to true love is a cobbled one.
At times it is riddled with potholes to make you stumble
overgrown weeds to hide the way and
ugly toads that don’t turn into your Prince Charming.

Be patient, little one.

For just around the corner, he waits
Unexpected and unaware, he comes
Stumbling, smiling into your path.

Into his eyes you’ll look
Through to his soul you’ll see
This one, this time
It’s meant to be.

-Lisette

Dear Little Girl,

BE YOURSELF. It’s the one thing you can be 100% sure you will be AWESOME at.

At the end of the day, who you really are will always struggle to come out, regardless of how hard you try to keep it hidden. Sometimes pressure from friends, your significant other or a job you are taking on might make you feel like YOU are NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Excuse my language, little girl, but that’s bullshit. Don’t fall into that trap. If your significant other makes you feel insecure, like you need to try so hard to please him or for him to accept you, then leave. You’ll never be happy with him.

If your friends won’t accept your little quirks, or that you like some things or some people that they consider uncool, time to find new friends.

If your job is stifling your creativity, your voice and your personal relationships, if you find no joy in it, Leave. You’ll waste away if you don’t.

BE YOURSELF. LOVE YOURSELF. LIKE YOURSELF. Know who you are, and what you aren’t. Accept. Live. Move on. Laugh. And at least once a day, Be Silly. It will do you a world of good.

Love, E

Dear Little Girl,

Being an adult doesn’t magically give you all the answers.

You’ll still feel lost and lonely sometimes. You’ll still want to run away to your safe place. You’ll still want to watch Disney cartoons for 24 hours straight.

Life won’t be perfect in your twenties. It won’t even be perfect in your thirties. I can’t speak for forties yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same deal.

At times, you’ll revert back to your teens, little girl. Angst will take over in certain phases of your life. You’ll be depressed and want to just cry until you physically can’t anymore.

I ask one thing of you, little girl. Give your older self a hug when she needs it. I hope it’s not too much to ask, because sometimes you really are the only person who can help her feel better.

-E

Dear Little Girl,

Sometimes growing up is lonely, because no one else can do it for you.

Try not to get too deep into the vices that come with growing pains, feeling alone, and shedding old skin to accommodate a new and better-fitting one.

You’re friends aren’t always going to be there, and sometimes you’ll even feel a real disconnect from them. When that happens, just do you. There are times when that’s the only important thing in life. The real ones, after all, will always be there, the ones that were just passing through, won’t, but by the time you get to where you are headed, it won’t matter to you anymore anyway.

Stay strong. It’s easy to just give up and give in to bad habits that you think are justified by depression, anger or discontent. Sure, you can drink yourself silly every night, do drugs, and stay home and let your sadness take over, but let me ask you this- Aside from you, who loses?

That’s right, nobody. So, there you will be, alone anyway. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time being alone and growing, building and learning than being alone and lonely, stagnant and bitter? Don’t even front, you know I’m right.

Need help? Ask for it. Sometimes even your closest friends and family are too involved in their own lives to see that you need it.

If all else fails- reflect, write, draw, build. Do something that will bring you closer to the answers you are looking for, because like I said, at the end of the day, it can only come from you.

-E

Dear Little Girl,

Sometimes I’m going to go into Mom mode,
and if you tell me you’re suffocating
I’m going to freak out and try to find you air.

Sometimes I’m going to worry excessively,
and if you tell me you’re caged
I’m going to cut myself trying to pry you out.

You must stop me, little girl
Because at some point I need to learn that I cannot always be the answer
And that you will go your way when it is your time, not mine.

(By the way,
I’m writing this to Erica
Which is proof that big girls go through little girl things too.)

Love,

-s.

Dear Little Girl,

Nothing in life is static.

-E