Work Hard. Do your best. Keep your word. Never get too big for your britches. Trust in God. Have no fear


15, 21



Plan a few screen-free weekends every year. (Reticket until 16.)


7



Sometimes there’s nothing else to do with the pain except to use it to build a new life.


13. 17, 19, 21



You don’t have to have everything you want. Practice saying “no thank you” to dessert or passing on the purchase you’re considering. Benefits are plentiful: Build self-discipline (which is like a muscle) and you learn you’re really ok and often happier when you don’t indulge a “want.”


13, 15, 21



Check out Harmonia School on Mill St Music Art Theatre


6



Listen to The Moth (storytelling) together.


15



Watch the news together. Local and national. Today Show has both of mornings are easier than evenings.


12, 13, 14, 15



"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."


11-14



1

Go to movie Star Wars


12



Read Prefontaine.


13



The secret to getting sinks and surfaces to shine is to dry-buff them after you clean them. Keep a soft clean rag or washcloth around so you can dry fixtures and sinks and counter tops. (They should be cleaning their own bathrooms by this age.)


11



Great article on how to explain that bodies AND brains are undergoing rapid changes during adolescence. Re-read and then chat! https://www.upworthy.com/amp/this-mother-s-description-of-her-tween-son-s-brain-is-a-must-read-for-all-parents?c=ufb1


10



Gambling is designed to be seductive- Everything about casinos and online gambling sites is about getting you to hand over your cash. It’s a scam. Don’t fall for it!


15, 18



Teach them about shaken baby syndrome.


13



On a job interview, mention a high-level educational goal such as MBA or law school. Their estimation of you will go up without them even realizing it. Your offer will be higher. Also follow, up with a brief but we’ll-written (professional) thank you note/email whatever.


17, 19, 21



My best parenting advice


1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17



Pour energy into what’s right with you and see what happens.


20, 21



Sometimes you have to disconnect the “doing” from the “feeling.” Not so much that you’re disconnected from your feelings but that you’re able to tell them to get in the backseat while you take the wheel. It’s a skill. Practice makes you better at it.


12, 16, 19, 21



Sometimes progress is slow - Keep working. Sometimes change is swift - hang on!


16



Great article on making math fun: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/how-to-get-reluctant-children-to-embrace-math/2014/03/04/4be99e46-959d-11e3-8461-8a24c7bf0653_story.html


6



Respect people’s privacy. No snooping, eavesdropping, peeping, etc.


11



Look into Kano (make your own computer)


7-11



Adopting a “do it right now” mentality has done wonders for my organization


10, 12, 16



"The only way to work through sh*tty feelings is to walk through sh*tty feelings." - Psychologist Kristen Howe Hard lesson, but big truth.


15



Have dinner guests sign the under side of the dining room table. Let the kids’ friends sign too - or have their own version of a guestbook - the inside of a cabinet or the basement door, etc.


5, 12-14



Keep difficult conversations brief. Under ten minutes then table it so everyone can process.


13, 14, 16. 19, 21



Pretty much everything boils down to looking for love, its many forms. Look in good (creative) places. Avoid looking for love in bad (destructive) places.


15, 17, 19, 21



Review basic grammar mistakes: Their, they’re and there. “It’s” and “its” “a lot”, etc.


10



“If you can’t figure something out, figure out how to figure it out.” - Paul Graham


18



Watch the local news together.


12