In 2003, when she was in sixth grade, Skye Gould’s mom, Stephanie Skylar, would pack her a lunch to bring to school each day. That’s not too uncommon, but Stephanie also included a note with each and every lunch she packed. These “Lunchbox Letters,” as they came to be known, were special notes between mother and daughter that included not only a variety of topics, but also a special advice section. Skylar would leave her daughter with pieces of wisdom that would stick with her for years.
Back then, the plan was to collect all the letters and put them into a book. The original plan might have just been a scrapbook, but in 2014, Gould took it a step further and turned the collection of letters into a website called Advice From My Mom. The site showcases all the letters, as well as commentary from Skye, now an adult.
On creating this project a decade later, Gould says, “I hadn’t re-read the notes until I began this project, so a lot of my reflections and commentary are based off how the letters have affected me without me really consciously knowing it. Words impact us this way; sometimes they resonate with us beyond what we even thought was even possible.”
The first official Lunchbox Letter, which encourages the then-shy Gould to be more open with her schoolmates.
Many of her mom’s pieces of advice encouraged Skye to be friendly, instead of competitive, with her female classmates, and encouraged friendships with other girls.
In middle school, many girls feel the need to tear each other down, and Gould says she experienced her fair share of mocking from the other girls. But she also says that, thanks to her mom’s encouragement and support, she now has many close female friends that she respects and admires. She says, “[My mom] used the letters to remind me to stay confident and tough.”
Of course, there were always bumps in the social road, and Gould’s mom supported her through those, as well.
Shortly after finishing sixth grade, Gould’s family moved from Ohio to Florida. At the start of seventh grade, Gould would have to face a new set of challenges.
Yet even though many letters touched on larger issues, they also show the family’s day-to-day habits.
Today, Gould says that these letters were an integral part in shaping the young woman she’s become, and she will continue to carry the lessons of these letters throughout her life. She was also able to distill the letters to their core pieces of advice, like valuing your family and friends, trusting your instincts, and working hard to achieve goals.
(via BoredPanda)
These letters might seem private, but Gould wants to share them with the world. They’re expressions of love, support, and concern that parents and guardians the world over have expressed towards their kids. Yet somehow, seeing the words in writing can cause us all to remember them more clearly.
Since Gould’s mom put those words of encouragement and love into writing, they’ve become immortalized, and Gould wants others to read them the way she did so long ago. “What words have our loved ones told us over and over that we need to be reminded of? How can we forever eternalize this advice and pass it along to others?”
We think this is a pretty good way of eternalizing the beautiful connection between moms and daughters. You can see the entire collection online, and learn more about the project on Gould’s website. Gould also wants to learn about how other people have hung onto valuable advice from loved ones, and you can start the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.
