Jada Pinkett Smith has graced both the big and small screens starring in hits such as Girls Trip, Magic Mike XXL, and more. Smith has become a matriarchal staple in Hollywood, as the quintessential Renaissance woman that does it all-family, career, self-love-with nothing less than grace and style.
Recently the mother of two sat down with Christine Whitney of InStyle Magazine and shared a touching letter that she penned to her 17-year-old daughter Willow. Break out the box of Kleenex, it’s a good one.
Dear Willow,
I’m so proud of how opinionated and strong you are. Both you and your brother have taught me acceptance—how to accept and allow you to be who you are. I appreciate you for that.
Working on this project [Red Table Talk] with you has been such a joyful experience. I’ve learned so much about you, things that I didn’t know and that I didn’t expect, which, to me, makes the Red Table real.
I have learned so much about life experiences—intimate life experiences you were having that I wasn’t aware of. And it taught me that, as much as I thought I knew you, there’s so much more to know. Even though I’ve been surprised, and even a bit shocked at times, I’m just glad that you have your own internal fortitude to get yourself through some of your most intimate, darkest hours.
Willow, I just hope that looking at how I’ve lived my life, you will find things within what you’ve witnessed, things that you will take on with you. How I continue to grow, how it’s okay to make mistakes, and that you can always make things right.
Even when things seemingly go wrong, you can always make things right.
Some of my favorite memories with you are the nature trips that we’ve taken together, when we go on road trips and hikes. We’ve been to Mount Shasta several times, Oregon, Utah, upstate California. What I cherish most about that is having time to simply be together and to just enjoy each other without all the [noise] of our lives.
Willow, you’re pretty intelligent. You have more of a handle on today’s world than even I. I’m just waiting for you to continue to show me how to get through this new world.
I love you.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, share some of your special moments with mom with us! We want to hear from you.
