Hi my sweet, sweet girl. It's your Momma.

Before you begin your crazy story, before the journey of life begins, before you experience the greatest things life has to offer, and go through the disappointment and heartbreaking aspects, they're somethings I need to tell you, things that I wish I was told, things that might change you as a person. My darling, life is full of adventure and turmoils, life is a beautiful yet hellish ride, and as your mother I feel the need to share some things with you that could help you get through the best and worst things life has to offer. If you don't pay attention or listen to anything else I will say to you, please keep these six things close to your heart and never forget how truly special you are.

1. You Will Get Through Your First Heartbreak

It pains me to know that one day, a boy will walk into your life; tell you all these wonderful things, tell you all the things you want to hear, and then without a warning he leaves after he swore he wouldn't. I know he made you feel beautiful, I know he made you feel wanted. I know you stay up late crying into your pillow, cursing his name. I know you haven't eaten in days and you can't get yourself to delete the pictures. It is okay to cry, it is okay to feel the hurt and pain, it's okay that your first heartbreak broke you. But please remember that every heart break brings you closer to the right one. You will have many heartbreaks in your life, the sad truth is that this isn't your last one, cherish the memories, and take the lessons you learned with you to the next one because you are one heartbreak closer to finding the right one.

2. Having A Few Close Friends Is More Special Than Being Popular

I know you see the group of girls at lunch or out at a party looking like they are having the time of their lives and you want to be like them, or maybe you're "lucky" enough to be one of them. It looks so glamorous, I know. I envied those girls in high school. Believe me when I tell you, having 2-4 close friends who do not gossip behind your back, who are there for you through it all, and who genuinely care about you is ten times better than being in a group of 10-15 girls who gossip, betray, and lie too. Sure they look happy at a party, but I promise you they always have to watch their back. Being popular isn't everything, it's nothing when you can't trust them. Be with girls who make you feel like a better you, it is much better, I promise.

3. The Number On The Scale Doesn't Define You

Put down the magazine, and forget about being the "perfect image." So you wear a size medium in some things and a large in others. So you might not fit into Target's swimsuits, or you think the boys in your class don't like you because you aren't a stick. It took me a long, long time to figure this out, and it would've saved me from a destructive path if some one told me when I was younger the number on the scale doesn't matter. Starving yourself, and binging and purging isn't a long lasting solution, believe your mother when she says that. The number on the scale doesn't define you, the way you love yourself and take care of yourself does, so love yourself baby.

4. Please Wait To Have Sex

It's new and slowly everyone around you is doing it and you find yourself wanting to just "lose your virginity already." You might be pegged as the prude and you might slowly feel like people are just waiting for you to lose it, and maybe making bets on when you will give it up. Listen to me right now when I say losing your virginity is a big deal, and who you lose it to is a big deal. When having sex your first time, you give a part of yourself to that person that you will never get back. You might think you're in love, you might think it will make you feel cooler not being labeled as a virgin, but losing your virginity changes you. Please keep it, please keep it until the day you can finally say, he's the one, and you want to be with him forever. I promise you it is worth the wait, you are not missing out on anything by not having sex.

5. High School Is Not The Best Four Years Of Your Life

You will hear people upon people say high school is the best four years of your life, you will hear that you'll never forget high school and the people you meet there are your forever friends. Okay first off, the people claiming these things are the people that relive high school over and over because they peaked in those short four years and they don't want to let it go. There is so much more life to live after high school, that it will become a faint memory. You will keep a friendship or two if you work at it, but college comes, and you truly learn what a forever friend is. High school is suppose to be fun, it's suppose to be the years that it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them. So please, if high school isn't all that it is cracked up to be, know that the better days are ahead of you, and stop stressing about the small stuff.

6. Know When To Stop Giving Second Chances

If it's your boyfriend, your best friend, anyone: please know when to walk away. I need you to look within yourself and know your worth, to know that you deserve more than what you are receiving. I need you to be strong enough, and to know when to let go of something that no longer is making you happy. I know you're in love, I know you have been friends for years, but once a person starts holding you back, it is time to let go. I promise, it will be worth it.

No matter what, these six things will be present in your life, one day. If I'm not there to experience and to go through these trials of life with you, please know I always want the best for you. My sweet girl, you are my princess, my love; I need you to know these things, because these are the things every girl needs to know growing up, but are not always taught. Life can get rocky for a girl growing up, and I don't ever want to see you hurt and beaten down, but life has a way of teaching us the hardest lessons to make us stronger. So no matter what, please keep these six things close to your heart and never forget how truly special you are.

Love,

Your Momma

xo