My Daughter

My daughter
My daughters
My daughters – tender, fragile – maybe, sometimes
Yet – sweet and strong
An extension of me, or maybe a mirror image
Until you look closely
Another person – completely
It matters not girl, or boy
Both precious
Beyond words

With the advent of the little girl, the mother is over the moon with happiness, for she has a companion, a little bundle that could be an extension of her, or maybe that close friend she had always longed for.
That is when the fears begin to build in her heart, in her soul – will she see what I have seen, will she be subjected to the same forces I had to contend with.
Years pass, friends and sometimes foes, but always there is that special place in the mother’s heart for her daughter – a girl like her.
For deep in her heart every woman is but a girl, sometimes fragile, sometimes needy and always there is the fight to be strong – stronger than even her own expectations, stronger than the conditions she is in.
“But my daughter should not be in the same place, for I am there for her, I will not repeat the mistakes of my own parents’ ”, are the thoughts of every mother for her little girl. She forgets that there are other forces to contend with, the hardest being the girl herself.

Daughters – Feminism and liberation

Stubborn, mule-headed, she wants no one to care, to advice, her opinion is the best – and she has every right to make her own life, to live it as only she wants to.

The world – does it give the girl a chance?

It should, it must
And, as the feminist movement is in full action we hope that our girls do not get to face what we had to face before them, be it from their own families, in the issues of marriage, education, and so many forces that somehow seem to fight the feminine gender.
The most important factor that all our girls have to face, be it in work or family, marriage or what have you is:
A voice
Every girl has to have a voice, for with her voice heard, she uses her voice, she can fight anything in her life – home or work or family.
So, to my daughter, and to all others I say, “have a voice and use it with wisdom, and never say later I will speak, speak now”, and still be a girl, with all the frivolities, fun, laughter and happiness that you deserve and the one you give to those around you.