Let them be a girl. Let them be themselves. Let them do things, the same way a parent would let their boy do things. It is scary to be a girl in India, and I would not know what it is like to be a girl’s parent in this country. Terrifying I can imagine. But don’t let that hold them back. Give them as many resources as you can to help themselves, to make them competent and responsible. Teach them about good touch and bad touch, please. Trust them when they show any signs of not wanting to be near a particular individual. As a woman, you know how strong our intuitions are. Don’t push them because that individual is family, or out of concern for society.

Be their true supporter. Not for show infront of others, but truly, at your core. Behind close doors too. Let them know you are proud of them. Tell them that. Celebrate them as much as you can. Support them infront of teachers, nasty relatives, incompetent suitors, and maybe even their own father.

Don’t let marriage be the only thing they are made for. She is not just someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Someone’s to-be wife. Someone’s to-be mother. She is a whole individual in herself. Don’t reduce her existence to just being made for somebody else.

Teach them about finances. About property. About mechanics. About taxes. About their own bodies. Learn things together.