I can’t keep quiet anymore.

I’ve been silent for far too long.

I refuse to remain this way for one more day.

No one knows me.
No one ever will.
If I don’t say something.
If I just lie still.

So please listen.

Please read.

I have something to say.

This is my body, not yours.
This is my mind, not yours.
This is my life.

Again, it is not yours.

I will no longer shut up and smile, or learn to know my place.

I will date whomever, study whatever, and walk whichever path I so choose.

If you are wondering, why, then let me repeat myself once more.

This is my life. It is not yours.

It is my human right to be autonomous and to live as I so choose.

To all the parents out there, remember this.

The greatest gift you can give your child is encouragement and autonomy.

They are not something to possess, but rather, something to cherish and support in flourishing.

Help them find their wings. They will need their own to fly.

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