I just read “7 lessons you should teach your daughter” or something, I was expecting to be blown away. Oh good, someone out there is thinking about how important it is to raise strong, amazing, caring and magic people!  But no. Alas, this article wasn’t written for me. It was written by someone who wants her daughter to grow up pretty and marry well. So I decided I’d just create my own. There are a million things I want to teach my daughter, but if I could only tell her 7 things, right now these would be it:

1. You are a badass.
2. Being a badass doesn’t mean you get to win all the time. It doesn’t mean you can be rude to people who do not understand you are a badass. Being a badass means that you are completely in control of your own feelings, reactions, and interactions with the world. A true badass is kind and loving to everyone because there is no reason not to be.
3. From the moment you were born, I knew you were a badass.  And I love you more than you can possibly understand. My greatest wish is to still know you in this world on the day you do come to understand how much I love you. The day we meet the next badass in this long line of badasses.
4. Boys are dumb.
5. Girls are mean.
6. People are beautiful and magical, even dumb boys and mean girls. All people are part of this bright shining star called life, so love who you choose to love. Love a white boy, love a black boy, love a Japanese girl, love a ginger nonbinary person, love with your whole heart anyone who loves you back enough to know what a badass you are.
7. You are going to meet people who refuse to accept that you are a badass. Fuck those people. They are wrong. Anyone who belittles you for your race, your gender, your clothes, your hairstyle- that person is lost.  They do not understand the true value of this amazing thing called life. Do not let them hurt you. Do not hate them. Love them, but kick their ass if you have too. You are, after all, a badass.