No matter how smart you are or how much you know, you still don’t know everything. ALWAYS be willing to learn and to change your position when faced with new information or perspective.


15, 20



The most attractive man in the world is one who brings peace.


21



IMPORTANT: If you borrow money from someone pay it back as soon as possible. In full. If you borrow an item, return it in excellent condition. I’d say if you borrow a car, return it with a full tank of gas but hopefully by the time you’re driving there won’t be any combustible engines. So return it fully charged!


12, 14, 16, 21



Checkout Bedtime Math app. It’s a tool to make math fun.


5



When it comes to clothes and makeup, women have one dress code: whatever the f*ck they want. Hijab or bikini, it’s not women’s job to appeal to men. It’s not women’s job to keep men’s appetites subdued.


14, 17, 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



Someone else’s success doesn’t subtract from yours. Celebrating with them and encouraging them won’t make you the loser and them the winner. We’re all in this together.


12, 15



Listen to the radio stations they listen to. Know their favorite songs and artists.


12



Be present. Don’t turn every conversation into a lesson. They stay in their rooms so much because they feel safe there. They’re tired and stressed out and managing a lot of change.


13



Re-Read "Girls and Sex: Navigating the New Landscape" by Peggy Orenstein.


13



Be kinder than necessary.


9, 15, 21



If you don’t have the words, borrow them. Send a song or a poem. As long as the sentiment is yours, the vowels and consonants don’t need to be.


13, 16. 21



Resist the urge to give unsolicited advice. Wait…this entire thing is unsolicited advice!


15



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


2-5



“Enthusiasm is the answer to everything.” - Rodrigo’s father


15, 21



Rain, snow or sleet...Always return the shopping cart to the proper spot in the parking lot.


17



Practice “going without.” Talk about how nobody gets what they want all the time. We should learn how to just choose to go without something we want. Get them in on the discussion and pick something every day to do without.


5-9



Key to a happy marriage: each of you must love and support the person in front of them. Not the person you married or the person you hope they will grow into. We all change and grow. Not all of it is for the better, especially our looks ha ha. We shouldn’t make our spouse feel obligated to stay the same person they were when we fell in love with them. In marriage as in business as in life: If you’re not growing you’re dying.


21



Work the problem backwards. Start with the solution (desired outcome) and count down from there each step. Some steps will be small, some big. But you’ll get there!


13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18



There is a cost and a duty to everything we own. Rachel Maddow


16



If your car is overheating turn on the heat full blast. It draws heat off the engine.


16



Home is where people love you.


21



“Tell me something you want to be when you grow up.”


5, 8



Three things you cannot change: The past, the truth, someone else.


18



Following your conscience is more important than getting ahead and will make a greater difference in how happy you are. Getting ahead or not isn’t entirely up to you, but listening to your conscience is.” - Senator Mitt Romney (paraphrase)


16



Never open someone else's mail, or listen to their conversation, etc. If it's not your business to know, don't snoop.


14-21



Talk about the difference between not feeling comfortable and not feeling safe.


7, 11, 14, 19. 21



Check out the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. A short but deeply meaningful immersion into service, faith in action, selflessness and living on a lot less than you think you need.


19



Read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson together.


17



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


3-17