Dear Daughter, When the World Says You Are Not Enough

Dear Daughter, I saw your smiling face crumble out of the corner of my eye. I noticed you stopped scrolling on your phone and looked deeper into the screen. Your body that was sitting comfortably in our minivan went rigid, and then you shifted in the leather seat to look out the window towards snowy trees and empty soccer fields. Your sigh sounded like you had the entire world on your shoulders.

When we stopped at a traffic light, I turned and softly asked,

“Are you okay, honey? Is something...