Parent the way you want your children to behave. Compassion, patience. Loving.


1, 2, 3, 4



None of us should ever have to apologize for being who we are.


10, 14, 21



“All the best things in life live on the other side of fear.” - Will Smith’s grandmother.


20



There’s an art to speaking harsh truths in a delicate way. There’s an art in describing a ridiculous person or thing without being insulting. Mark Twain was a master at it. Read up!


17, 21



I get it. It’s exhausting when they’re little. But you will never be so needed or so loved as you are during these years.


2, 3, 4



Institute a “leave by” time instead of a curfew. That way they won’t panic / speed if something out of their control happens to make them late. “Leave Riley’s house by 10pm.”


13



Sit down together and write house rules on anger. We don’t hit or bite. Do we yell and slam doors? Name-call? Say “I don’t love you” ? Bad words? What’s appropriate anger and what’s unacceptable?


4-6



Sex isn’t something you “score.” It’s not a competition. Whether the encounter is casual or within a committed relationship it’s something that is shared.


16, 19, 20



Remember when you’re faced with bullies, jerks and people who say bad things , follow advice from the Obama's: "When they go low we go high."


1Infant-14



Read Prefontaine.


13



Your brain seeks novelty. Try new things as long as you live. Take risks (but not safety risks!)


20



Spend time with people you admire, in person and biographies, documentaries, novels and movies.


14-17, 21



Mvzkhdkhd


19



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


14



Healing happens when you give up the hope that the past could have been any different. xoxo


20



Play this every year between 12-21. https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPd2b593U/


12, 14, 16, 21



"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read." ~ James Baldwin


14, 19



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



Have them practice making trade offs based on their financial priorities. For example: Pedicure or movie?


9



Camp Arena Stage


8



All behavior is communication.


2-6



Once or twice a year my parents would clean all the walls and baseboards in the house. Every time I smell Murphy’s Oil Soap I think of that. They mostly separated work around traditional gender roles but only insofar as that’s what they liked. Mom had no desire to work in the yard, Dad didn’t like to cook (until he got a bread machine for his retirement!) They often worked together on big tasks no matter inside or outside. Teamwork! And clean walls.


21



Listen to podcast “1912” about an incident of alarming racial injustice Forsyth County GA.


12



“Don’t chase your dreams


14, 17, 20, 21



Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter. Hush until you heal.


12, 18



Go out of your way to part on good terms whenever possible, in all circumstances.


18



Reinforce this at every opportunity: “You matter.” Kids respond to this message deeply, whether it comes from a positive source (parents/teacher/coach) or people who are only trying to exploit them.


2-18



Be the kind of man that people feel safe around. Safe from harm, safe from judgment and safe from ridicule.


17



Help them develop a positive attitude. http://www.momentsaday.com/10-activities-help-young-children-develop-a-positive-attitude/


5



Like me, you turn to food for comfort. That’s okay to a point, but it won’t help. That hole you’re trying to fill will just get deeper. So if you can’t or won’t stop eating for comfort please consider this suggestion: Do something creative first. Sing, write, paint, run, lift, act, improv, whatever. The hole will be so much more shallow when you go to try and fill it with food. Hopefully, eventually you’ll get to the point of staying in “creative mode” to feel better.


10, 12, 13, 16, 21