Life doesn’t have to turn out like you imagined it would in order to be AMAZING.


19



Don’t ask for anything until you’ve done what has been asked of you.


5



Check out the Wolf Trap Children's summer theater.


4-11



Great career advice from tv producer Tara Schuster: Be the best at the worst job. You’re a lowly intern, you’re not gonna get asked to sit down with the boss and strategize. But say the boss likes coffee, and the office coffee machine is unreliable. Fix the machine. Keep it in tip-top condition. Make a contribution to the company in small ways, consistent with your level of ability (which at this age is low low low. NO ONE likes a 20-something who thinks he/ she knows it all. Or knows anything really.) Listen, learn, anticipate needs and surpass expectations doing the little things. Be polite, kind, ethical. Be on time (early.) Yes, compete but also help others look good and succeed. NEVER never trash-talk a colleague, client, boss or subordinate. Don’t suck-up either. Mostly just listen, work, make yourself useful wherever you can. And have fun. You’re gonna do great, bunny.


18, 20



Practice real-life mental math: Calculate time / age: If someone was born in 1994 how old are they today? Make change in your head: Cost is 14.27, how much change do you have if you give the cashier 20 bucks? Calculate percentages: tips, tax brackets, sales!!


12, 14, 20



Read everything Brene Brown ever wrote.


20



Look into a class for meditation for kids. I read an article on a Baltimore elementary school that replaced detention with meditation and had amazing success.


6



Make a deal: flying lessons IF he takes dancing lessons. A man has got to know how to dance! In fact, tack on some other prerequisites like good grades and responsible behavior


16



Talk about what’s normal and what’s abnormal reactions to alcohol and drugs. Basically all kinds of feels from euphoria to paranoia to jealousy or infatuation, etc. Getting sick is normal but blacking out is not. *Anything that could interfere with breath or circulation is dangerous.


13, 15, 17



Anyone who asks you to violate your values doesn’t deserve your allegiance.


16, 21



"The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world." - Paul Farmer


15, 21



“You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.” - name escapes me


15, 19, 21



Build a treehouse together


8



Anger is the bodyguard of sadness.


12-15, 21



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


10, 14, 21



If baby / toddler is melting down, put them in the bathtub or bring them outside. A change in temperature will calm them.


Infant-4



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


17, 18



Research says working with your hands is good for your mind and spirit. Even if it’s just folding laundry or doing yard work. Let’s find a hobby u might like working with your hands.


12



Look into Space Camp for next year


8



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


21



Practice "shaking off the sleepy." It's hard to wake up when your body is screaming for more sleep. If you practice, you'll get better. Get up, get in the shower and shake off the sleepy. It works!


6, 7, 13-15



Your great-great grandmother was a seamstress at Marshall Fields. Her husband was a firefighter in Chicago. The immigrated from County Wexford in Ireland.


10



Just focus on shining on your own terms. Your shine is not dependent on anyone or anything else.


15



Begin planning trip for 10th bday. Maybe to Atlantis in Bahamas or someplace he’d be excited about._____Get him involved in planning and saving.


8



Some days it feels like your world is falling apart, but what's really happening is that it's falling into place. Make good choices. Be kind. Be brave. Trust.


15, 21



Just do the next right thing. One step at a time, you’ll get there.


13, 18, 21



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


14-17, 21



You are always responsible for how you act, no matter what you’re feeling. (Or whether you’re drunk or in any way impaired.) Hammer this point home for the next 10 years!


13



Sometimes progress is slow - Keep working. Sometimes change is swift - hang on!


16



Success = liking who you are, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.


14, 17, 21