Enroll in cooking lessons. We'll need to find you someone who knows how to cook. (Don't tell mom I said that.)


14



Have the first of many talks about what consent means. Tell them (boys AND girls) that consent needs to be informed, enthusiastic, sober, ongoing and freely given. Stress that, in no uncertain terms, the absence of consent is rape. Discuss the legal, moral and emotional consequences.


12



Name a few male celebrities you would feel safe with alone in a room. Keanu Reeves, Jack Black, Barack Obama, to start us off.


11, 13, 15



If you’ve never dressed a newborn before, an easy way to get the hang of it is to lay the outfit flat on the bed and then place the baby on top of it. Tuck her little arms and legs inside one at a time, then zip or snap them in. Done!


Infant



Build a backyard adventure camp


8



The $@!#% never ends. Dealing with the $@!#% IS your job. If you think you’ll ever reach a “post-$@!#%” stage in your life, you’re wrong.


14, 19



Go to Montgomery County Fair


5-14



When they’re upset just ask what they need: space, distraction, or talk about it.


12



Super good-looking people often don’t develop good people skills because they’ve been able to get by on their looks. Listen! Beauty fades. Get curious about people who don’t necessarily catch your eye right away.


16, 19, 21



Hold fast to what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)


10, 15, 21



Go as a family to local high school musical productions.


9-13



1

Don’t play hard to get. Be hard to earn.


16, 21



Never any point in arguing with drunks or fools.


17



“Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine.” From short story “The Egg” by Andy Weir


1Infant-21



Some people have more money than sense. Just because u can afford something doesn’t mean you should buy it.


15



Introduction to 70’s Southern Rock. Skynyrd, Allman Bros, etc.


14



“Courage is cheaper than Channel. It works better too.” - Scott Galloway


14, 15, 16, 21



We don’t always get what we want. Sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes we go without it. Sometimes when we DO get what we wanted it looks different than how we imagined it would. AND IT’S OK. We’re ok. The world keeps turning! That’s a huge lesson and a valuable one. Practice “pushing the snooze button” on wants. Enlist their help. “I understand you want ____. Would this be something you could snooze or do without?”


5, 10, 20



Read JAMA article by Brooke Peterson Gabster.


18



“You will encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” -Maya Angelou


17



Assume any email or text you send will be distributed.


12, 15



Better to be a little hungry than too full.


15, 21



Purchase the card game CBT 123 on Amazon. (Cognitive Behavior Therapy teaches kids the connection between Thoughts/ feelings/ behavior)


7



When someone suffers the loss of a loved one, don't shy away. Go to the service. Check in during the months following. Say the name of the person who died when you talk to them. Forward pictures of the loved one if you have any, share stories. There are exceptions to this, so always take your queue from the person who is grieving.


18



Watch movie Sky Walk (2019) it’s about a school paper.


14, 18



Japanese multiplication (counting lines.)


8



Just show up. That’s all we can really control. Show up, (don’t run) and take it from there. You got this.


21



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



Help him practice having tense conversations without getting a tone of voice.


15