Walk up the Washington monument. No elevator!


11



Drill on stuff that will be valuable throughout their lifetime: Vocabulary, geography, addition and subtraction.


10, 12, 14, 20



Don’t get discouraged in how slow change comes. Keep fighting for good. Some people will say it’s naive but they’re wrong. Every good thing we have in America is the result of good people fighting a seemingly impossible fight.


16, 21



Before a play date or sleepover ask the parent “Are there any unlocked guns in the house?”


6-9



Save where you can. Spend when you have to. Splurge every once in a while.


15, 21



Great quote from a divorce coach: “Your life is bigger than one man.” Your life IS bigger than one relationship. Or one job.


16, 18, 21



Frustrated with school or work? It bothers you because you care or you hurt. That’s human.


14



ALWAYS pee before you sit down to nurse a baby.


Infant-1



Check out fencing. Local fencing club has classes for kids and adults all ages. They also do birthday parties, so that might be something different that would be fun for him and his friends.


10



Always wear an undershirt with a dress shirt.


15



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


7



Sometimes you just have to let go. Let go of a relationship, or a dream, or plans. Let go of a person, a pet, or an object. It's hard. It takes a lot of trust. Trust the Lord will heal the wound, no matter how deep. His goodness is infinite.


16



Affection is to be shared, never taken.


14



In the wise words of Taylor Swift, you don’t have to forgive or forget in order to move on. You can just…move on.


15, 21



Teach them that when we hear sirens it means someone is in trouble but help is on the way.


2-5



Dream big. Work hard.


18



Don't say anything out loud that you wouldn't want repeated or overheard. Don't email / text, etc. anything that you wouldn't want forwarded.


11-15



Read (or listen to) A Fragile Stone together.


15



Talk about how to act respectfully and be inclusive of children with disabilities and facial deformities, etc.


5-10



Take the train to Roanoke.


10



You’ll miss me when I’m gone, but if I did my job right you won’t need me.


21



Recipe for happiness that stands the test of time: Be who you are, and figure out how you are uniquely equipped to serve.


15, 21



Offer gifts to the Lord. Maybe it's your school work, or your career, or the kid you raise, or your life in general. Wrap it up and make it a present to the Lord.


9-15



Curate a presentation on heartbreak. Talk about heartbreaks endured by people we know, fictional characters, historical figures, etc. Point is to normalize it, prepare them for it and teach them that they will come out the other side.


14, 20



Following your conscience is more important than getting ahead and will make a greater difference in how happy you are. Getting ahead or not isn’t entirely up to you, but listening to your conscience is.” - Senator Mitt Romney (paraphrase)


16



Teach car maintenance: Adding air to tires, checking oil, etc.


13-17



Check in on your friends. Even the ones that seem fine.


14-21



There are a lot of people I care about. But I’ve decided there are only four whose opinion of me I care about: My kid, my god, myself and my dog.


18



“Racism is real, even if you aren’t a racist. White privilege is real, even if you don’t feel it. Police brutality is real, even if the cop you know is kind. Your world isn’t the world. Everything is not about you.” -Mohamed Safa


16, 21



Enroll in cooking lessons. We'll need to find you someone who knows how to cook. (Don't tell mom I said that.)


14