Advice to the Millennial Woman

I originally wrote this letter to my daughters. One said she wanted to frame it, the other said she loved it, and both suggested that I publish it.

When I was 20 years old, like most 20-year-olds, I probably had the “world by the tail”, but my immature and insecure brain hadn’t thought about or appreciated all of the incredible possibilities that it was capable of manifesting.

If I could turn back time, there are many things that I would do differently.

Now in my 40’s, I look back at my 20-something-year-old self, and think that if I could go back and simply talk to that bright, ambitious young woman who knew beyond a shadow of any doubt what she wanted for her future, I would tell her about the things that are to come for her in terms of life in general, but particularly with regard to family and career.

I’d tell that 20-something-year-old that even though her plan is to focus on her career, she should take no-fail, bulletproof precautions to ensure that nothing derails that plan. Specifically and especially, a man. Any man.

No offense, I love men. They can be amazing, but when you’re 20, men, and everything that comes with them, can wait.

I’d tell her that there’s plenty of time to work out what her family life will look like if she decides to go that route.