My Daughter is a Better Version of Me

My daughter is about to turn sixteen and I am constantly blown away at her bravery. She (like most of gen z) knows who she is and she doesn't apologize for being herself. Her comfort in her own skin and her willingness to be open and honest about everything without fear of the opinions of others is inspirational. 

She came out as LGBTQ+ at age nine, for example.

She wanted to talk about Christianity today and I quickly discovered that she shares many of the same thoughts and opinions that I have. She had been active in church up until a year ago when she was treated so horrifically by other teens in the church who were backed up by adults that she asked not to return. I told her that I supported that decision. Turns out that she had a lot of the same questions I had, but she brought them to the teachers. She was putting people on the spot, a lot! And she eventually got bullied out the door. That really served as a last straw for both of us.

She makes no bones about how she feels about church, hypocrisy and she listed for me, several contradictions in the Bible. She hasn't chosen a label for herself, but is leaning towards agnostic. It's a pretty parallel journey to mine. However, her bravery and my support have allowed her to conclude in fifteen years what has taken me almost forty. 

She's not a green witchy lady full of wonder like me. But she is a force. She is a good person. She is loyal and honest and loves deeply. She sees through the ruse of the church and I am proud to be her mom. She is a better version of me.

My mother is slightly more brave than her mother and I am slightly more brave than my mother. My daughter is vastly more brave than me. So, if she has a daughter, that is going to be a warrior princess whom I can't wait to love.