To the little girl with the bouncy pigtails and the big smile with half-missing teeth,

Your mommy probably woke you up for school today at your normal time and she may have looked a little defeated, but you didn't think much of it. You think, maybe your older brother had given her trouble about what he wanted for breakfast? Maybe your mommy and daddy had been up late arguing over whose mother's house to go to for Thanksgiving? You may not know this or even understand this, but today was not a normal day and the days may not seem normal for a long time.

A very poignant woman once said, "Never doubt that you are valuable, and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams". Please keep that in the back of your mind as you grow older because this world will challenge you.

You throw on your favorite pair of light-up purple Sketchers with a pink floral shirt and run downstairs for the breakfast your mommy has prepared. You look at her with big puppy-dog eyes and ask her what's wrong. She responds with something along the lines of, "Oh it's nothing sweetheart. Just adult problems. Are you ready to get in the car?" She'll brush off the subject, put your backpack on for you, and hold your hand out the front door until the car. She'll hook you up in your car seat, slide into the drivers' seat, and turn on the radio. You'll hear, "Trump performed a miracle", "What do we do now?", "How do we move on?". You may not understand now, but you should know that someone very similar to the antagonists in your favorite stories: the Stepmother, the Evil Queen, Cruella Devil, who doesn't believe in the importance of your future, just won the highest office in all the world. But, I want you to prove him wrong. This is not the end. Your hopes and dreams should continue to stretch much further than some glass ceiling. They should stretch the sky and ruminate amongst the clouds.

Your mommy stops the car. She's crying. She takes a few deep breaths, gets out of the car, and unlatches your car seat. She drops you off at the gate of your school and you look back as she rushes back to the car, clearly disappointed. Your teacher, also female, greets you at the classroom door with a big hug and helps you put your things into your cubby. She starts off class with a giant goals poster. She reminds your class that you can do anything you put your mind to. You have all the tools to be the best you. One thing she may not mention is that, you will always be better than the boys, never lose sight of that. Make sure that you stay one step ahead.

You are so much stronger than you will ever know. When things don't go your way, have perseverance, and take the time to fight back. You won't regret it. And when you go to wake up your little angel with pigtails all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, you'll smile knowing that you made the world a better place for her to live in because she'll never have to experience the fight and the struggle you won. But, that doesn't mean you want things to be easy for her, you just want things to be fair. Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. Win the struggle for her.

Sincerely,

The woman who knows you can do it.

P.S. Never stop smiling.