If you can reflect on one thing, it’s this:

What unspoken rules shaped your voice growing up—and what do you want your children to hear instead?

This letter is for anyone raised to stay quiet “out of respect” to one’s elders, even if that silence costs them their emotional well-being.

Through tender storytelling and raw vulnerability, the writer reflects on what it means to parent with intention after growing up in a household of unspoken feelings and quiet suffering. From honoring her Lola’s love to rewriting generational patterns with her children, this letter is a soft but powerful reclamation of voice.

If you’ve ever wished you had permission to speak up, to feel fully, or to say “I’m hurt” without fear, you’re not alone. This one’s for you.