The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

by Michelle Obama

I’m rooting for my daughters to learn their way into maturity in their relationships, not worrying about wringing some clear result from it. I don’t want them to see marriage as some sort of trophy that must be hunted and won, or to believe that a wedding is the sort of spectacle they need to properly launch a fulfilling life, or to ever feel that having children is any sort of requirement. My hope instead is that they’ll experience different levels of commitment, figuring out how to end relationships that aren’t working and how to start new ones that seem promising. I want them to know how to navigate conflicts, to understand the heady thrills of intimacy, and to have a sense of what it’s like to get your heart shaken up. When and if my kids do choose someone, finally, to be with for life, I want them to do it from a place of strength, truly knowing who they are and what they need.