Celebrating this community!
In keeping with my commitment to stay vigilant but also celebrate joy, I want to acknowledge that this week marks three years of No. 1 Immigrant Daughter! For a reminder on why this Substack started, check out my first post, inspired by Luisa from Encanto! She literally carried it all.
Thanks to my Day One subscribers, those who recently joined, and those who have referred this Substack to others. I appreciate you letting me into your inbox, which is no doubt cluttered! And I appreciate you reading and commenting!
Since March 2022, a lot more attention has been given to "eldest daughter syndrome" and immigrant daughters. I love this Tiktok that describes how you carry your family dynamics into the workplace – from being the "we don't worry about you daughter" to the "we don't worry about you co-worker." So real.
This article describes the phenomenon in more detail, for those of you who prefer long-form reading and learning. Oh, and apparently there's even an Eldest Daughter Day, created by the Eldest Daughters Club and the UK-based Home Girls Unite and celebrated on August 26.
Initially, a lot of my posts focused specifically on this non-clinical syndrome of being a No. 1 Immigrant Daughter. But this Substack is also BY a No. 1. And for that reason, it covers a wide range of topics that are of interest and concern to me, and I hope to you. In fact, many subscribers are neither immigrants or eldest daughters. You're all welcome!
No matter what the crises of the day are, we still need to work on our own healing, support our well-being and acknowledge that much of how we move in the world is connected to generational trauma. That's neither a source of pride nor shame. It's about knowing ourselves, loving the rough edges and the smooth ones and being gentle with that child who had to grow up too fast.
With love and tenderness,
Sayu