Things I want my daughter to know

As she grows up, there's so much that I want E to know:

• You are braver and stronger than you will ever know.
• You are beautiful inside and out.
• I am not a perfect mother. I make mistakes and I can be impatient. But I try. Every thing I do in my life is for you. I will always love you, far more than you will ever know.
• Your Daddy and I will always love you.
• Education is important - in my teens I naively thought it didn't matter and that I would be able to get a decent paid job regardless. I was wrong. Get some qualifications behind you.
• So is family.
• There's more to life than being Miss Popular, it's far better to have a few close friends that you can count on rather than lots of hangers on.
• It isn't your job to make other people happy.
• Don't stress over bad haircuts, they soon grow out.
• It's OK to cry.
• It's OK to have your own opinions and views and to express them but remember that others also have their own opinions and to be respectful of them.
• You aren't fat - its far more important to be healthy (and happy) than constantly worrying about your weight.
• It's OK to make mistakes but make sure you learn from them.

More than anything, I want E to feel safe and secure and to know how much we love her. That we weren't perfect parents but we tried our best.  Every day I tell her how much I love her and smother her with kisses and cuddles. She's now at the stage where she will climb onto my lap for a cuddle and if I ask her (sometimes!) she will give me a big, slobbery kiss. 

What do you want your daughter to know?