I'm sorry I was never able to make you feel beautiful when you needed it most. People said it was up to me to adore you and to treat you well, but how was I supposed to do that when I didn't know what beauty really looked like?

No, I'm sorry for thinking that I knew what beauty looked like and for holding you to goals that you were not meant to meet. I'm sorry that I didn't let your body just be the way God made it. I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to go out of your way to attain a standard of looks that you were not created to have. I'm sorry I didn't let you be happy with just being you.

I'm sorry I didn't look out for advice when I could have. I'm sorry for thinking that I knew what was best and so lost you opportunities to reach your highest potential. I'm sorry I was too embarrassed of you to allow my walls down enough to let those who really cared in. I'm still working on letting those walls down.

I'm sorry that I made you feel like being single was a horrible thing and that nobody would ever love you. The truth is, singleness is tough, but there is nothing wrong with it. It's got a ton of benefits once you learn to embrace it and I'm sorry I never let you do that.

I'm sorry I broke your heart by allowing that one boy, that one time to trample all over you because I thought it would somehow make me more popular or experienced for the future. I'm sorry I let him emotionally blackmail you because I thought that being in a dramatic and slightly abusive relationship was something that was normal.

I'm sorry I didn't trust your instincts and went ahead with what everyone else told me to do so that I could fit in. Yes, I'm sorry that I thought you were a loser who would never fit in if you didn't change.

I'm sorry I never stood up for you. I thought that if I allowed people to make fun of you and treated it like a joke, they'd like you more. I'm sorry that it caused you those countless hours of sleepless nights. I'm sorry that it brought a deep sense of anxiety upon you.

But most of all, I'm sorry that I haven't thanked you enough for never giving up hope- I would definitely not be where I am today had it not been for the fight you put up. I'm sorry I never let you know how strong you were.

If I could rewind time, I would teach you to do all these things: to love yourself so fiercely that nothing that others say would cause you to take a second look at yourself and feel disappointment. I would teach you to be so confident that you would rise to every goal you set for yourself and that you would find relationships that are worth being in and it'd be easy to let go of the ones that aren't. I would teach you that the media is not the best source to rely on when it comes to beauty in yourself and in others. I would teach you to trust in yourself and your abilities before you decide to allow others to tell you who you are. Most of all I would teach you to love so fully that you would stand up for yourself and for others whether they were considered significant by society or not.

And I'm sorry I didn't.

But I promise I will, to every other girl I meet who needs encouragement, to my kids and to their kids and most of all, to myself. Everyday.