Girls Today...Sigh.
Actually, they really aren't all that different than we were. Sure, their music is different and comes on a playlist rather than a mixtape, but as people, not much has changed. There are still the girls who look impossibly perfect, and throw up at lunch time, the girls with acne and bit of extra weight, who suffer silently as they are not asked out, the girls who sit in the front of the class looking for validation and praise. Yep, same girls different day. Not much has changed in the 20 plus years since I have been a student, even the same catty cliques exist.
What HAS changed? The way we interact with our daughters, the way they interact with friends, with the world. While all of our voices are more easily heard round the world, it is also silent in this thing we call "real life". As I sit here typing this, my lips do not move, no sound escapes my throat yet it will be transmitted around the world when I press that beautiful little "Publish" button. Why this matters of course is that we as parents no longer have the daily experience of seeing how our kids interact with other kids.
I remember having to stand in the kitchen to speak to a boy or girlfriend who called. There I stood as the entire family overheard what I was saying, and from that I would be questioned after the call as to what was going on. There was no hiding, there was no privacy.
While the above scenario was convenient, it is simply no longer feasible in this digital age. We as parents must reach out on a daily basis to find out what is going on, is our daughter well liked? Does she have friends to hang out with at school? Is she being left out of social events? Is she hurting? Is she being embarrassed or bullied? Does she cut herself or vomit? We need to know these things so that we can help them through, help them learn, help them teach others kindness and acceptance.
So with all of that said, I have a mission for you all. Friday, November 12th is "To Write Love On Her Arms" day. It's simple really. Before your daughter leaves tomorrow, take a pen, and draw a heart on the inside of each of her wrists and a small message such as "I am loved" or "I love you" inside the hearts. It is a simple campaign to not only let our daughters know we love them, but to explain to them that it is an opportunity for them to reach out to a girl they may know who is hurting or just needs an affirmation of love and acceptance.
Write love on her arms, and tell her to pass it on.
Dedicated to the memory of Brianna, 12 who took her own life and part of all of our hearts when she left this world.
