To My Daughter on Mother’s Day: Lessons I Wish I'd Known

My Dearest Sia,

On Mother’s Day, I’ve been thinking less about being a mother and more about what I wish I’d known before I became one.

Because being your mom has been the wildest adventure and the clearest mirror. You’ve taught me more about myself, my strength, my limits, and yes, even my hormones, than any book or expert ever could.

There’s so much I want for you. Not just as your mother, but as a woman who’s walked a few steps ahead. I want you to step into your power, with less hesitation, fewer apologies, and none of the self-doubt I carried for far too long.

I wish I had listened when my mother said “You don’t have to be everything to everyone.” I thought she meant rest. I didn’t realize she also meant choice. The choice to say no. The choice to walk away when something doesn’t feel right. The choice to protect your peace even if it disappoints someone. The choice to stop explaining, stop pleasing, stop overextending and start listening to yourself instead.

I wish I had known that our bodies whisper before they scream. That bloating, breakouts, mood swings, fatigue, they’re not nuisances; they’re messages. I spent years brushing mine aside. You don’t have to. Your hormones aren’t a mystery, they’re a map. Learn to read them. Learn to trust them. And when your gut speaks? Listen.

Speak your mind. Say what you think. Say what you mean. Don’t shrink to be liked or stay silent to be respected. Don’t dim your light to soothe someone else’s shadow. And please… don’t settle. Not for jeans. Not for comfort or company. And definitely not for a doctor who doesn’t believe your pain.

Surround yourself with people who clap when you win, hold you when you fall, and make you feel safe being exactly who you are. I hope you never confuse feeling better with being better. That you always remember that your health, in every form, hormonal, emotional, physical, is yours. And it matters. And I hope you love. Deeply. Honestly. Fearlessly. Finally, I hope you live with purpose. With intent. With courage.

This is what I’ve learned…and what I’m still learning.

So today, while the world celebrates mothers, I celebrate you. The woman you’re becoming. And the women who will rise because you did. The bold one. The kind one. The one who knows better and dares to ask for more.

Forever, Your mom