A mother’s powerful letter to her 5-year-old daughter has gone viral.
Toni Hammer, who is based in Portland, America, wrote an empowering note of life lessons to her little girl, before sharing it to Facebook, where it quickly garnered an incredible online reaction with over 10,000 comments and shares.
Inspiring parents across the internet, the note encouraged the youngster ‘not to be afraid to be herself’ and never to apologise for ‘being a pain’.
Toni Hammer, who is based in Portland, wrote an empowering note of life lessons to her little girl, before sharing it to Facebook, and it quickly garnered an incredible online reaction
Addressing her little girl directly ahead of her start at Kindergarten, Toni, who is based in the US, wrote: ‘To my daughter, don’t apologise when someone else bumps into you.
‘Don’t say ‘sorry to be such a pain’- you’re not a pain. You’re a person with thoughts and feelings who deserves respect. Don’t make up reasons as to why you can’t go out with a guy you don’t want to go out with. You don’t owe anyone an explanation- a simple ‘no thanks’ should be acceptable.’
And encouraging her to be confident around food, she continued: ‘Don’t overthink when you eat in front of people. If you’re hungry eat, and eat what you want. If you want pizza don’t get salad just because other people are around. Order the damn pizza.
‘Don’t keep your hair long to make someone else happy. Don’t wear a dress if you don’t want to. Don’t stay at home because you don’t have anyone to go out with. Take yourself out. Have experiences by yourself and for yourself.
Addressing her little girl directly ahead of her start at Kindergarten, Toni wrote: ‘To my daughter, don’t apologise when someone else bumps into you
Urging her little girl to let her emotions out, Toni- who herself was bullied as a youngster, added: ‘Don’t hold back tears. Crying means you’re feeling something that needs to get out. It’s not a weakness. It’s being human.
‘Don’t smile because someone told you to. Don’t be afraid to laugh at your own jokes. Don’t say yes to be polite. Say no because it’s your life.
‘Don’t hide your opinions. Speak up and loudly. You should be heard,’ she added boldly.
‘Don’t apologise for being who you are. Be brave, be bold, be beautiful. Be apologetically you.’
Encouraging her to be confident around food, she continued: ‘Don’t overthink when you eat in front of people
Explaining what motivated her to write the letter to her daughter, the blogger told Huffington Post she wanted her daughter to avoid the anxiety she herself went through as a child.
‘I was picked on a lot as a kid and I hate the idea of her going through what I did. I know it won’t be long before someone tries to make her feel ‘less than’ and I want her to face it with more confidence then I had at that age,’ she said.
‘I want to raise a daughter who is as confident as she is kind, who fights for those who can’t fight for themselves, who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and work hard to make the world a better place,’ the Portland-based writer said.
‘Someone who is a lover of justice and believes change can happen’.
Explaining what motivated her to write the letter to her daughter, the blogger explained she wanted her daughter to avoid the anxiety she herself went through as a child