Read Admiral William McRaven’s autobiography Sea Stories.


17



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


14



When you meet people in an intimidating situation, like a job interview, etc. An easy trick is to imagine them as they were in kindergarten. (Don't talk to them like they'r 5 year-olds! But relate to them on a human level. We're all human - filled with talents and fears and insecurities. No matter how "important" or "unimportant" our station is.


16-21



Fact: when you drink to excess you are significantly more likely to cause harm to someone or be harmed yourself. Being drunk means surrendering your ability to keep yourself and others safe.


12, 15, 18



Read or listen to The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest.


17, 21



Toddler not interested in food? Hand them a random kitchen gadget to play with while you’re feeding them dinner, they’ll eat more if distracted.


1,2



“Open your eyes and see what you can, until they close forever.” - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Dorr. See the world! Learn science, appreciate art and books, meet people and be genuinely interested in them. Engage in the fight for justice, resist fascism and dictators. Share what you have and who you are. Putting up walls is a waste of time. Yes, there will be pain. But you will be able to face it with grace, grit, courage and with the love of others. Make love! But remember if they’re too drunk to drive, they’re too drunk to consent. And be sure you’re both on the same page so you can avoid misunderstandings and hurt feelings (yours and theirs). Don’t kiss and tell. Be protective but never possessive. Just be a man, you know? (man/woman/grownup human.) Be safe - $@!#% is forever.


15, 16, 17, 18, 21



Check out School of Rock (Vienna) or Bach to Rock.


9



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



Action is the antidote to anxiety.


12, 14, 17, 21



Sioux Nation quote: No one heals himself by wounding another.


16



“Be brave. Be resilient. Be kind. Be grateful.” -Hillary Rodham Clinton


12



open your own business


20



Pool safety- never touch equipment and always have a grownup present when swimming.


3-8



YouTube Randy Pauch The Last Lecture. Watch together.


14



Read “Lighter” by Yung Pueblo. Read it every year.


17, 19, 21



Best take on parenting: “My kid is never gonna not feel safe with me.”


1, 5, 10, 15



You have to be in a good place to be able to make good choices. If you’re run-down, sick, grieving, addicted or in a really bad relationship, etc. you won’t be able to make healthy choices. It’s a catch 22 I know. My point is that you have to take care of yourself (or get help) so you can be in a position to make healthy, good choices.


17, 21



Compassion: Acting with love when faced with another’s suffering.


16



Sex talk: “Forget about sex. Just play first.” Forget about making a move and just have fun. Dance, listen to music together, go somewhere exciting, look at something beautiful, read to each other, play sports, let yourself be seen and encourage them to do the same. Communicate in a hundred ways: talk/send texts/ post on social media, pass notes, whatever. “Sex isn’t the door to intimacy


15



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


13, 16, 21



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


15-18



“Don’t chase your dreams


14, 17, 20, 21



Are they (we) getting enough quiet?


8, 12-14



The only thing that matters is love. When we live with love - for God, for others and ourselves, that is what makes life worth living.


16



To quote Harvard professor Adam Grant: “Argue like you’re right and listen like you’re wrong.”


15



Do feel like you’re where you’re supposed to be?


19, 21



Start a vegetable garden.


7



You can get into big trouble (with school and the law) even by fake / joke threats of violence (bomb threat, etc.) No jokes or pranks that have anything to do with violence.


11