You’re beautiful, no matter what anyone tries to tell you.
Perfect.
A blossoming rose in a garden of weeds.
No bruise or blemish will ever take that away from you.

Thirteen will be a rough age,
your whole world will flip
upside down, inside out, backwards, sideways,
but you will survive it.
You’ll think I don’t know what you’re going through.
But remember, I was a teenage girl once too.

You’ll wander through this phase
where you think you’re much older than you really are.
Just know you’re not.
There’s no need to rush maturity,
when you’re debilitated and gray, you’ll wish you were young again.
Life goes much faster than you think.

Like it or not, you’ll always be my baby girl,
even when you’re thirty with kids of your own.

I ask that you be happy,
and love everything you do.
Follow your dreams,
aspire to do something unimaginable.
Your father and I will support you no matter what you choose to do,
and we’ll always be proud to call you our daughter.

The only man you can trust to never hurt you and to love you unconditionally,
is your father.
Never forget that, even when Daddy wants to dance with you in public.
No man is worth your tears,
so wait for the one that won’t make you cry.
I assure you he’s out there.

You’ll have best friends, boyfriends, and ex friends,
but I promise you there will never be anyone as trustworthy
as I am.
I’m your mother and I’ll protect you from anything.

And finally,
no matter how many fights we get in,
or how many times we yell,
I’ll love you more than anything in the world,
and I promise to never stop.