Life in the 21st century is never going to be less
than odd for us twentieth century oldies. For
you, things are smooth sailing. You are cruising
in a world of technological wizardry and more
information than you will be able to process
in ten lifetimes. I know you will find this hard
to imagine, but when I was your age, I had to
handwrite my homework, and look things up
in books. Books, darling; those funny things in
what you call the ‘museum of horrors’, although
why you find it so amusing calling my study that
every time you come in is beyond me.
It’s because the generations before you – even
your silly old bag of a mum, as I heard you
mutter under your breath the other night,
with her silly old books – fought for you. Look
up ‘the suffragettes’ online. Look up ‘female
leaders of the early 21st century’. Look up
Sheryl Sandberg. Look up Marissa Meyer. Look
up Janine – remind yourself of the things she
got up to! And it was men and women working
together, the way they do now. I know you think
boys are repulsive, and granted most 14 year
old boys do leave a lot to be desired, but they
turn out OK. Most of them anyway (see qualifier
below).
Remember how much you enjoyed reading
President Rodham Clinton’s story? The way
she took on Putin? The reforms she made in
America?
You said ‘I want to be just like her one day’.
Don’t be like her. Be better.
And for the love of monkeys…
Career wise, the world is at your feet. My dream
at your age was to be a fighter pilot – but girls
weren’t allowed back then. Yes, I know it was
stupid, but luckily that’s changed now, and if
you want to, you can be a part of the front line
defending Australia. If I had you now (don’t
shudder), your dad would be able to stay at
home and look after you while I went back to
work, if that’s what we wanted to do. When
you were born, that wasn’t an option. A lot
has changed, thank goodness. You can be an
international cricket or rugby player (I know,
shut up about sport Mum). You can play AFL
past primary school – I couldn’t, which was a
shame, because I loved it.
You can be anything you want, MM. You can
have any job under the sun. The sky – well, the
sky isn’t even the limit. So here is what I want
you to do.
Don’t waste it.
You may only be 14, and I may sound like a
pushy old broad, but the reason you have all of
these things?
Don’t. Marry. Someone. Like. Bill.
Love, Your Mum.