To my Little Lioness

I am a sucker for letters. I wish people still wrote them more often. Well, this here was inspired by this. 

Dear Aria,

First off, let’s be clear that your name is Aria… and not Beyoncé or Rihanna as your father may be deluded into thinking. Your name is as beautiful as music (it actually means ‘A long, accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio’) but let’s pretend that I was deep and philosophical enough to come up with that on my own. If you aren’t the pretty, prima-donna type of little girl, then you can tell everyone that your name means ‘lioness’… because it does.

Aria, by now you must know that mommy loves words… reading them and writing them. That’s why we will take on adventures to solve mysteries with The Famous Five; we will get creeped out by the horrors of Goosebumps on many a night… and when you have been a really good girl, we’ll step out of this mundane muggle world and see what’s been happening in Hogwarts. Who knows, by the time you read this we may be well on our way to conquering Westeros with our favorite heroine of all time, Daenerys.   

Frankly, baby, I didn’t want to have any daughters. I wanted three sons instead. Not because there’s anything wrong with little girls… no, they are like little bundles of sugar, spice and everything nice. I didn’t want a daughter because the world is a harsh place, and especially so if you are female. But you are here, my little lioness, so I’ll do my best to see that life treats you kinder than anyone else. I could get a mask, leather jumpsuit and fight crime at night to keep you safe, but that field of expertise is a little flooded at the moment (not to mention cliché!)  Instead, I’ll do what I do best, write: 

Hair. You know how I quote India Arie when I am having a bad hair day and say that ‘I am not my hair’… Well, ignore that. The older you grow, the more you realize that you ARE your hair, and your body for that matter. Treat it like the temple it is. You are a like a perfect, little porcelain doll so this shouldn’t worry you much. Oh, yeah. Be nice to those other girls who aren’t as pretty as you are.

Be that girl who reads. Trust me; this is a fad that will not get outdated… ever. Read anything that makes you happy. Feed your creative juices with stories of worlds afar and times long past. Read about current issues, and fashion, and culture, and cooking. Question what you read and come up with your own silly theories. Share them with me, with your friends and with that special boy who will listen to you with all the seriousness and act as if you are Plato re-born. Read classics like Pride and Prejudice to see how sometimes the girl with the bigger brain wins over the girl with the bigger boobs. Read ‘The Great Gatsby’ to realize just how dangerously powerful love can be. Read Meg Cabot and dream of Prince Charming while you are at it. Let Stephen King bring all those monsters to life. 

Speaking of Prince Charming, do not wear your heart on your sleeve UNTIL you meet one who is worth it. I wish I could give you a clear cut formula or strategy… or even a probability distribution that describes men, but it doesn’t work that way. I know you think mommy is some genius (and she could be!) but this is one area of life that you will have to tumble through. Just listen to your heart alongside your head, don’t play with people’s feelings (that isht comes to bite you back on the bum eventually), and for God’s sake: Use Protection!!!

When in doubt, just be yourself. This always works. It’s the only way you’ll make true friends and live life to the fullest. However, on a first date, or a job interview you should probably try to be YOUR MOST CHARMING self rather than you in entirety.

I know that I said that the world is harsher when you are female, however, that doesn’t mean that you should compromise your femininity. You don’t need to ‘Think like a man and act like a lady’… think like a lady. We are the better strategists and improvisers around. Don’t feel like you have to pretend to like soccer or gaming just so that he can like you. It’s okay to love rom-coms and fashion instead.   

I feel as if I am going on and on as you always accuse me of. Well, I won’t go on anymore. We still have many more years for me to get all deep and philosophical on you. Just know that I love you more than you can ever imagine. In fact, I played you P!nk’s ‘Run’ so many times before you were born that I bet the lyrics are ingrained in your memory. You know you can always run back to my arms, no matter how cold it gets out there.

Love,

Mom.

PS: I may have borrowed the nail polish you were asking about earlier.

PPS: It’s Super Sunday and your dad’s team will probably lose… again. It’s your turn to act like you care. I had to cover for you all through that time before you were born.