For Her
Her shirt has been changed. Her hair pulled back. Her little face is all I can think about when I reflect on this election. Of course my boys stand to gain or lose tremendously (depending on the outcome), as well.
But, her. She bears the brunt of this. She is part of a future, part of a legacy that has been paved by women before her and before me. I hope she has more opportunity than I had. I hope she never feels stuck in a relationship or marriage or career because she is a woman and "You have no choice". Those are words I heard an AWFUL lot in the early stages of my adult life. I hope she knows she can do and be ANYTHING she wants. I hope her dad, her brothers, and I always model a behavior that is conducive to her success. That we speak kindly about each other and others. I hope we teach her to accept all people for who they are; regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or gender. I hope she never has to leave her babies and return to work before any of them are ready - unless of course, she wants to. I hope she never has to choose between paying for daycare or paying her mortgage. I hope she never wonders why her career has stalled,- when she has two maternity leaves under her belt and is getting eye rolls when she needs to go pump. I hope she knows that if she finds herself on her own with little ones, that it's ok to get help. It's ok to need it. It's ok to pull yourself together and push forward. I hope she will know that all life is precious. ALL LIFE. And when those lives are present , they are just as important as those who have yet to be born. I hope she knows that as women it feels like we are held to some impossible standard, and we are. But that is only because we are amazing. And capable. And we're on the heels of a big, big change. Today, my vote was for HER.
But, her. She bears the brunt of this. She is part of a future, part of a legacy that has been paved by women before her and before me. I hope she has more opportunity than I had. I hope she never feels stuck in a relationship or marriage or career because she is a woman and "You have no choice". Those are words I heard an AWFUL lot in the early stages of my adult life. I hope she knows she can do and be ANYTHING she wants. I hope her dad, her brothers, and I always model a behavior that is conducive to her success. That we speak kindly about each other and others. I hope we teach her to accept all people for who they are; regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or gender. I hope she never has to leave her babies and return to work before any of them are ready - unless of course, she wants to. I hope she never has to choose between paying for daycare or paying her mortgage. I hope she never wonders why her career has stalled,- when she has two maternity leaves under her belt and is getting eye rolls when she needs to go pump. I hope she knows that if she finds herself on her own with little ones, that it's ok to get help. It's ok to need it. It's ok to pull yourself together and push forward. I hope she will know that all life is precious. ALL LIFE. And when those lives are present , they are just as important as those who have yet to be born. I hope she knows that as women it feels like we are held to some impossible standard, and we are. But that is only because we are amazing. And capable. And we're on the heels of a big, big change. Today, my vote was for HER.
Edited to add: This post was originally written on 11/08/2016
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