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



When driving in the car with your kids, ask them to count motorcycles, cyclists, pedestrians. Prize to the highest count! This will train them to be on the lookout for them.


10



You don’t have to like everyone you go to school with, or work with. You don’t even have to like your family! BUT, you have to treat everyone with respect and kindness. They are worthy of that no matter what your opinion of them may be.


15, 21



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



Hike Jones Run Falls at Shenandoah National Park.


11



Grandpa used to keep a hundred dollar bill stashed discreetly in his wallet “for emergencies.”


17



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


11-14



1

Read Harry Potter series to him / with him.


9-10



It’s hard to want something and not have it. Kids have to learn how to sit with that.


3-17



Listen to The Moth (storytelling) together.


15



Anything you deny or fight will fight you back harder. Don’t fight the fear, pain, disappointment, etc. Let it in and let it teach you what it wants to teach you. Then you can part as friends.


15, 21



Always wear an undershirt underneath a dress shirt.


13



“The only way out is to love yourself. That’s it. That’s all.” - Valerie Bertinelli


10, 13, 17, 21



Book “8 Candles and a Tree” about celebrating interfaith holidays.


7



Approach difficult conversations looking to learn something, not to prove something.


16, 21



Remember Mom's birthday


2-21



Make “good trouble” as Rep. John Lewis said. Justice is won, not given.


14, 19



Don’t Just “go along for the ride” in your relationships. Be clear about your intentions and act accordingly. It’s part of being a man. A GOOD man. Sometimes you just need to have a talk and make sure you’re both on the same page. It won’t $@!#% you!


16, 21



Teach your pets they can trust you. Take care of them. Treat them with tenderness. Teach them how to behave. (Unless it's a cat. You can't teach cats anything.)


15



Always know where the main water shut-off is in your house.


18



We feel best when we create. No amount of food, video games or any self-destructive habits will fill that hole. So why fight it?!? Create something, even if it’s as small as a little sketch or poem. Grow a garden, bake a cake. Start a business! Whatever your beautiful heart desires.


12, 15, 18, 21



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


2-5



“Distraction is the death of art. But boredom is the birth place of it.” (Forgot who said this)


12, 15, 21



Someone I admire is __________. Talk about someone you admire and why. Ask them to do the same. Do this often as you can. Reticket through age 18.


4



Beautiful girls don’t exist for your pleasure. They’re not there for you. They, like you, exist to find out what it is to be alive in their body in this lifetime and to learn what makes them feel most like themself. They’re here, like you, to grow into themselves, to enjoying being alive, to marvel in creation with all its beauty and tragedy, injustices, banality and thrills. No one, friend or foe is an object for your experience


14, 16, 19, 21



Read article about Digital Learning/ transitioning to doing homework on a computer. http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/it-doesnt-have-to-stay-on-the-screen


10



C.S. Lewis books. (Children’s and adult.)


12, 21



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


6-9



Sad but important fact: You’ll never be enough for some people. Never. -Chasten Buttigieg


18



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