Dear daughter,
I am writing this letter to you to introduce you to the interesting stage of life that is waiting for you ahead, which, unfortunately, I will not have a chance to witness. Still, I believe that with the knowledge and experience that you have already received in life with my help, you are sure to cope with all the future challenges and problems perfectly. In this letter, I want to show you how fascinating, it is to move along your path in adolescence and how much is waiting for you before you become an adult.
First of all, I want to tell you that often this path to maturity turns out to be not easy for people. Along this path, there are waiting many different obstacles that you will have to face, but please, bear in mind, that everything you will face you will be able to overcome. The main feature of this path is rather easy for understanding – it is all about change. In adolescence, everything is committed to it and revolves around it. All around you and a lot within you will be changing – the way you look, feel, behave, perceive what is happening around you – all of this will no longer be as it had been before.
In this situation, you will have to make an important choice regarding your actions – you can either resist the changes, or accept them and change your life accordingly. I have to warn you that the second way is far more responsible and thus difficult, but it is really worth your effort. You will have to understand that you become a different person now, you will have to make important decisions, learn how to live in this world decently, find your place in this life. Of course, you can choose to resist the change and act as if nothing happening in you and around you. You can continue acting like a careless kid, thinking that your problems will be solved by someone else and that somebody will make your life great, and you will not have to do a lot to be happy. It will never be this way, and it is one of the most important things that I want you to understand from this very point. This somebody who can make you happy is you, and no one else.
I know that all this responsibility, decisions and other matters that I want to share with you now can seem to be lying too far away from you. Or you may think that in your case, everything will be easy, and I am just writing this to scare you or make you do something that you don’t want to. However, I want to say that this rather grey picture that I have painted for you is not the whole truth. I will show you the other side of this seemingly bitter pill that is sure to interest you and motivate you to act responsibly in this journey to maturity.
First, with accepting of the changes and respective behavior, you receive a whole new world of opportunities and possibilities. Probably, you will have to give up a lot on this path, but what you get is definitely more than what you lose. Of course, if you constantly complain of how difficult it is for you to change, how much you lose, how you don’t want the responsibilities, etc., you will simply have no chance of spotting the new opportunities. I have to tell you that it will be your great mistake, so I’d rather you did not do it, but it is all up to you.
These opportunities involve learning, extending your worldview, trying something new and adopting it. It is important to distinguish between the opportunities that are harmful to you and the ones that are good, and mind that usually the first are easier to be found. Some cigarettes, drugs, alcohol and other detrimental activities – all of this is usually somehow accessible to the youth, but every time that you think of it, remember that it is an easy way to start some habit that will destroy your health. It is much more difficult to find something that is really worthy of your attention and will bring you much good. Please every time before you make some important decision, think of whether it is an easy way, or a decent, probably more difficult, but indeed worthy way. It is always better and more interesting to choose the second way.
I want to write also specifically about the physical changes that are waiting for you, as often they become the driving force for a wide variety of problems. A lot in you will change that is important to understand and accept. You will grow to become a real woman, and it is one of the most important changes in your life. You breasts will be getting bigger, as well as your height. Hair will grow in your armpits, legs and in the genital region. Menstruation will also begin sooner or later.
You should watch it all, not panic and perceive as a natural order of events. It will take time to adjust to these changes, to master them and accept. Please do not force yourself to accept the changes, better aim to be open to them and watch your reaction. You have to understand these changes are not your burden, not some punishment, but all parts of the puzzle that every woman has to go through. Get prepared to them, be open to them and be ready to change your life accordingly. All of this is designed to make you happy, mature and ready for more. I wish you all the possible luck on this way, and am sure that you can do everything perfectly and receive a lot of joy along the way.
Reflection on the Letter
It was an interesting assignment for me, as I could imagine and reflect on the changes that were happening in my life, and how I could explain them to someone who is close to me. I think that the most important aspect that I tried to convey to the daughter is that although this path to maturity is not easy, it is better to accept it and go along it, than to reject it and deal with the subsequent problems. I tried to show that these path and obstacles are really worth her effort and that although it is difficult, the results it will bring are great and should be noticed. Thus, accepting the changes and treating them became the main focus of the letter.
This exercise made me feel experienced and qualified in some serious matters. Of course, it was a bit weird to imagine my daughter right at this difficult stage of development, but it turned out to be an interesting experience on the whole. Upon completing the assignment, I can say that it was fascinating for me, developed my imagination, and I thought that it was very responsible to be a parent and explain these important issues to the child. I hope that when I have kids, I will be ready to face all the realities that I will have to explain to him/her, as it is not very easy indeed.
I can say that I did not want to scare my child, but still did not want her to have some shallow expectations. I wanted to show that there is much work lying ahead, but it will bring a lot of great opportunities for personal growth that should be expected and accepted. I think that children at this stage will not eagerly believe in some perils waiting along the way as usually they are eager to become adults. But the warning of the future work and challenges and the results this work can bring are more appropriate in my viewpoint.
My greatest fear when writing the paper was that I would not be able to show the bright side of the path, and it will all be too frightening for the child. I think that this bright side can serve as a great motivator along some obstacles on the way, so it was important for me to show the results of the difficult work, but I hope that in the letter there is enough brightness. I really hope that my child during this important period in life will be able to handle the challenges and find a place in this world for herself. I hope that there will be no major depressions, and she will be able to find her taste of life, something that makes her feel great and wake up with a smile on her face most of the mornings.
Reference
Santrock, J. W. (1996). Adolescence: An introduction. Brown & Benchmark Publishers.
