04/30/2026
On this last day of , Ireland’s Daragh Fleming’s “If I Ever Have Girls”.
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If I ever have girls they'll be feared by weak men.
But to everyone else they'll be a consistent friend.
They'll never lack meaning.
They'll be gentle and kind while breaking every glass ceiling.
They'll take up space and they'll like what they like.
They won't be taught to reduce themselves or hide.
My girls will be feared by weak men.
They'll demand respect because they deserve it.
They will always know love, and never feel they have to earn it.
They'll know their value is inherent, has nothing to do with their looks.
They will be leaders, be healers, right wrongs, write books.
They'll be mothers one day if they so choose.
But their value won't be defined by the use of their wombs.
They will be whatever lives in their hearts.
They will know dreams are there to be chased from the start.
My girls will know poetry and song.
They know I will listen when something feels wrong.
They will learn that 'women are too emotional' is an original lie.
And they will not grow up with a father who refuses to cry.
So yeah,
My girls will make some weak men shake in their knees.
They won't be the women society expects.
They'll be the women society needs.
Daragh Fleming
