I,” she says, “am always stuck. I am always stuck between giving people everything because I am dying to create meaningful relationships, and giving them nothing at all because then if they leave, at least I’ll be left whole.

I hope my daughter never feels this way at night.

You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.

when your little girl asks you if she’s pretty your heart will drop like a wineglass on the hardwood floor part of you will want to sayof course you are, don’t ever question it and the other part the part that is clawing at you will want to grab her by her shoulders look straight into the wells of her eyes until they echo back to you and sayyou do not have to be if you don’t want toit is not your job both with feel right one will feel better she will only understand the first when she wants to cut her hair off or wear her brother’s clothes you will feel the words in your mouth like marblesyou do not have to be pretty if you don’t want toit is not your job

Your feelings are valid. You have every right to feel whatever emotion you want. You aren’t being dramatic. You aren’t over exaggerating. You’re feeling. And that’s okay.

I was dying to hear someone say That I didn’t need to try so hard to be perfect, That I was enough and it was okay