Dear Daughter:

When I read about Daisy Coleman’s death last week, I sat down and tuned into her 2016 documentary on Netflix; Audrie & Daisy. My mind was racing the entire time, eyes glued to the TV, remote in my hand. If you haven’t seen it, I strongly urge you too. The profiled victim, Daisy, was raped by a 17-year-old boy while she was unconscious at 14-years. After years of intense struggle with the aftermath of her trauma, she committed suicide last week.

Between the bouts of anger and pausing or rewinding the film, taking deep breaths to really hear the ignorant remarks made by local police and justice system representatives — I had a repetitive thought — How am I going to explain this to my son and daughter one day?

How do I tell my daughter she is always in danger? That one out of nine girls under the age of 18 will experience sexual assault and I have to teach her how to avoid it?

How do I explain this scenario: When a young girl tries drinking or smoking weed for the first time, she puts herself in a vulnerable and dangerous position. But when a young boy tries it his first time — he is just being a boy. So when a girl is assaulted, it’s her fault, because she put herself in the position of vulnerability…