I’m going to start you in Mathnasium or some other STEM (math) activity. Not because I want u to score high on your SAT but because I want You to be confident in your math skills you will use it every day and it will come in handy no matter what you choose to do for a living


7



Go as a family to local high school musical productions.


7-18



Golf lessons. Grampa loved golf, if he were here he would have taught you himself.


9



Never allow anyone to tell you who you are.


17



Girls: does he put in the effort even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable for him?


16, 20, 21



“Things are not perfect, because life is not TV and we are real people with scarred, worried hearts. But it’s amazing a lot of the time.” - Anne Lamott


14



Your body will go through all sorts of shapes and sizes. You’ll have times when you’re gorgeous and times when you’re awkward or frumpy. Whether you’re having a great hair day or sporting a face full of angry pimples, your looks have never and will never define your worth. (And nobody else will ever be defined by theirs.)


13, 15, 21



Read everything Brene Brown ever wrote.


20



Read Harry Potter series to him / with him.


9-10



“The next generation never learns anything from the previous one until it’s brought home like a hammer.” - Harry Truman


13, 16, 21



Give them the book Starfish by Lisa Fipps.


12, 14



It’s your civic duty to vote (including midterms!) Be an informed voter.


16, 18



“Pay yourself first” means save before you spend. You never know when you’ll need to tap into savings, so build it up early and heartily.


18



The universe is cheering for you!


14, 16, 18, 20



You will never have to hustle for your self-worth. You are worthy of love and respect simply because you exist. Same goes for every other human.


16



Always keep a clean rag within arm’s reach in the car. You never know when you might need to clean-up a spill or smash a spider while driving 50mph.


16



Don’t use a bad word when you can use a good word.


10



I think the term “find myself” simply means figuring out how much of what you do/think/want/believe/care about/ feel is there because some parents, siblings, family — or institutions — or ad campaigns — or political party, or whatever put it there and fed it, vs. how much ch of all that you present to the world and to yourself, is genuine…The good, the bad, and the ugly? (Go find yourself! Tell the rest of us to F off!) xoxo


18, 21



Be kinder than necessary.


9, 15, 21



Resource: the website Ask, Listen and Learn has great material about how to start a conversation about the dangers of under-age drinking. asklistenlearn.org


9



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


10



Win some, learn some.


14, 17, 21



Give yourself a break from thinking about yourself.


13, 16, 21



Remember: “C’s get degrees.” Don’t tie yourself in knots over grades.


17, 18



Make sure you always have Uber gift cards on hand for friends, emergencies or whatever.


15-18



If you don’t know what to do ask yourself how you want to feel. Once you have a good idea of that you can find lots of paths to get you there.


16, 21



One of the best things you can do for yourself is to cultivate a hobby. Anything positive/creative you can throw yourself into.


11, 13, 17, 21



When you know better, do better. No one is born a fully actualized human being! We are all in the process of becoming who we wish to be.


16, 21



Guard your health and fitness as if it were your most valuable possession. (It is.)


14, 17, 21



Birthday traditions: 1) Plant something every year. 2) Birthday interview on camera or voice recording.


5