Hi Reader,

There's one thing I desperately want my kids to know.

It isn't particularly profound.

It's okay to be you.

Wear the shirt because you like it.

Don't wear the brand because everyone else is.

Don't pretend to like something because the boy does.

Listen to the music you love—even if I think it's terrible.

(And yes, my kids know exactly what I'm talking about.)

For a long time, those seemed like little things to me.

They're not.

Because eventually, the questions get bigger.

Is this relationship okay with me?

Do I believe what I'm being told?

Do I stay?

Do I leave?

And when those questions come, I don't want my kids meeting their own voice for the first time.

I want them to recognize it.

This week's article is probably one of the more personal things I've written.

It's about motherhood, addiction, panic attacks, family, choices I wish I'd made differently—and why I care so damn much about teaching my kids something I didn't understand when I was younger.

→ Read: It Is Okay to Be You​

Keep it brash.

Keep it true to you.

Because you matter.

Lisa

P.S. Reading about self-trust is one thing. Learning to hear your own voice when everybody else's gets loud is another. That's the kind of stuff we talk about inside The Brash Collective. Come hang out with us.