Father's: Ethan Hawke to Maya, Clementine and Indiana

Dear girls,

I often wonder how your lives are different growing up as young women from what it was like for me as a young man. Is it the same? Is it radically different, or just a variation? For me, I believe much of life is the same—if we have a soul I highly doubt it is masculine or feminine.

Sometimes I worry that many women miss out on what a beautiful aspect of life sports can be. Maya, I know you couldn’t care less about anything with a ball, but I must encourage you to push yourself to know your body, and sports are the great teacher. It can be yoga or dance but you mustn’t ignore all that athletics has to offer. There are certain secrets you can only learn when you are running as fast as you can. And Clementine and Indiana—it’s not too soon to get started.

It’s hard to talk about love. I get shy and stumble around like a teenager myself. But I do want you to know that it is your life and I want you to be in charge of it. Go out and embrace all your passions. Just remember that the secret to enjoying any romance is your own self-respect. If you respect yourself, you will be amazed at the quality of the people who show up around you, and how you begin to respect others. It’s a series of dominoes that fall all by themselves. It is in that sanctuary of respect where love can flourish.

My mother raised me to be a feminist and I wonder how I can do the same for you.

The best advice she ever gave me is to never make a big decision without walking at least a mile. Also, that there is no cure for blues better than reading. Read. It makes you more intelligent. It’s that simple. We all see the universe through the tiny keyhole of our own eyes, and every book is another keyhole from which you can gaze.

And remember, no matter what happens in life, you can handle it well and be happy, or handle it poorly and be miserable. Many failures have blossomed into triumphs, and many “successes,” if not handled well, have wilted into disasters.

This Father’s Day, I want to leave you with a note that F. Scott Fitzgerald gave his 11-year-old daughter, Scottie. It’s good advice—I can do no better. But as far as I’m concerned I wouldn’t sweat “horsemanship.”  Except maybe he means “sports?”

Things to worry about:

Worry about courage
Worry about cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship

Things not to worry about:

Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactions

Things to think about:

What am I really aiming at?
With dearest love,

Daddy