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11 years ago, a mom wrote one letter a day to her daughter to help her through 6th grade - and her advice is timeless

Caroline Moss,Skye Gould   

11 years ago, a mom wrote one letter a day to her daughter to help her through 6th grade - and her advice is timeless
LifeThelife2 min read

letters

Skye Gould

In 2003, Skye Gould was in 6th grade at North Middle School in Lima, OH. Her mom, Stephanie Skylar, was a working mom; at the time she was the Executive VP and Director of Marketing of Chief Super Market Inc., a grocery store chain in Ohio.

Gould, eleven at the time, was at the age where kids start to be hyper-aware of their parents involvement, whether it's making special snacks for the class or being appointed a "homeroom mom."

Because Skylar worked full-time, she felt that she might be letting Gould down; that she couldn't do everything other parents might have been able to do.

This began their special mother-daughter tradition: Lunchbox Letters.

For the majority of school days in Gould's 6th grade year, Skylar would leave a note in her daughter's lunchbox. The notes touched on whatever had been going on that day - a quiz, or karate class, or babysitting.

Some of the letters were emotional; Skylar was tasked with explaining difficult concepts to her young daughter, helping her prepare for a world that was not always kind or fair.

Gould, who is now 23 and the associate graphic designer at Business Insider, kept each one of these letters in pristine condition in a Sketchers shoe box.

For her masters project at the School of Visual Communication in the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University, she created a website - Advice from my Mom - showcasing the letters and Gould's reflections and commentary on how her mother's words and advice have impacted her over the last decade.

Skye Gould

Skye Gould

Skye and her mom in 2003 on the left, and again in 2013 on the right.

Skylar knew her daughter had saved the letters, and that they would somehow be incorporated into her masters project, but had no idea what the project truly entailed until Gould unveiled it to her this past April. She was truly touched.

"I was overcome with pride and love for my daughter," Skylar told Business Insider. "I broke down crying when I saw it."

"My mom wrote me these letters because she believed in the person that I was always meant to be," Gould writes on the Advice from my Mom site. "I am eternally grateful for these reminders."

Gould helped us select some of her favorite notes, each of which include a piece of what is now absolutely timeless advice from her mother. You can also visit her site to see all of the letters here and visit her project's Facebook page.

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