To My Future Daughter, 

I’m about to turn 23 years old. In the past year, I’ve had a sort of relationship with four different men, and I am still learning so many things that I still don’t understand, or know if I ever will. But I do wish to pass on any knowledge I do have to you.

Boys will tell you things, they will expect things, ask for things, sometimes will act without thinking or asking, or someone will always try to convince you that you were in the wrong and are responsible for having made yourself vulnerable.

I want you to know that it’s never your fault for trusting another person. To trust is a beautiful thing, and I hope that you never lose faith in people. Never lose that and never lose your ability to love, because they are the most special and incredible things that a human can do.

Your relationships do not define you, but rather the way in which you relate to the people in those relationships.  Don’t judge yourself on the success or failure of your relationships, but rather in how you love.

Value the love that you give to others so that you can give your trust to someone who values the love as much as you do.  Relationships will not always work out, but they will work out for the best. You need to realize sometimes that your path can’t be parallel to everyone else’s.