Wipe your kids’ tears when they’re sad. Smile with them when they are happy. Hold them close when they are scared. And let them see your tears, smiles, and fears too. This is how you teach them to be a human in this world.


6



Give them marshmallows to suck on when they get a sore throat. Takes away the pain!


3,4,5,6



Kindness Confidence = Popular (Be kind to everyone, paying no attention to social status, age, looks, money or disability.) Be confident: Know that you are enough. You’ll never be perfect but no one else is either. When you mess up it’s not the end of the world- laugh at yourself when possible. Learn from failures. Don’t fake interest in people or things that don’t fill you up. Be who you are! People gravitate towards kindness and confidence


12



Avoid the tendency to obsess over someone. It’s not romantic, it’s self-destructive. You’re worth more than that.


13, 15, 17, 19, 21



Read Moth by Amber McBride. Young adult fiction in verse about grief. Twists and turns.


15



Beware of those forces that aim to pit good people against each other. Injustices hurt our sensibilities- as they should. So instead of bickering about who’s been wronged worse, let’s join hands and fight injustice on every front. If you get caught up in comparisons, everyone loses.


16



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


16



Re-Read Tim Russert's Big Russ and Me.


14



I love that you got chills from watching Wicked. You were 10 and already affected emotionally and physically by music. Bonus points for listening to and acknowledging how your body talks to you.


13, 19, 21



Trying to avoid the real work makes the task 100 times harder. Do the work.


9, 15, 21



Poems are great tools to help them to read, recite, practice handwriting, and illustrate.


7



Favorite bible verse: Psalm 143:8 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have placed my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”


15



Toddler years: Tater tots make everything better. The smaller ones cook faster and you don't have to turn them.


2



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


18



Connect with people however you can, in whatever way feels natural to you: Talk, listen, perform, compete, create, laugh, pray, explore, share your truth, acknowledge the divine in yourself and in everyone you meet.


16, 21



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


12, 21



Plan a few screen-free weekends every year. (Reticket until 16.)


7



Never resist a generous impulse.


9, 12, 19



Be mindful of privilege. Discuss the concept, point it out where you see it.


11-18



When setting off fireworks...Keep a hose or a bucket of water nearby. Also remember Costco is a great place to buy them!


5, 7, 9



Doing something you don’t want to do just to look cool is the opposite of cool.


9, 11, 14, 15, 19, 21



Highly recommend book about math and multiplication techniques:“The Best of Times” by Greg Tang.


10



People will always have complicated feelings about the people they once loved. We’re human beings, we can’t expect emotions to be like an on/off switch. Complicated feelings/mixed emotions regarding an ex is to be expected. What’s important is what they decide.


17, 21



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


20



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


5, 8



You don’t have to go to college, but whether you do or not, I implore you to read. If you’re like me a slow reader, pace yourself but keep at it. Read bestsellers and classics. Fiction, biography, history, art, every damn thing. A big regret of my life is that I never tried to love reading as a kid. Do yourself a favor and carve out time to read every day. Even if’s it’s just a few pages. Your mind will sharpen and your heart will be full and your soul will be fed.


10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 21



It’s okay if you don’t know how (or don’t want) to move on. Start with something easier…just don’t go back.


16



Gambling is designed to be seductive- Everything about casinos and online gambling sites is about getting you to hand over your cash. It’s a scam. Don’t fall for it!


15, 18



Sometimes grief looks a lot like anger. Are you upset about something you lost or had to let go of?


15, 21



Replace “but” with “and.” “I love you but...” Becomes “I love you and that’s why...” etc.


9