You don’t have to lower your standards, just lower your walls.


12, 15, 21



Just put your best foot forward and get on with it!


14, 17, 21



Be weird. Be happy. Be you. xoxo


12



Rudeness is a weak person’s imitation of strength.


13, 21



YouTube Randy Pauch The Last Lecture. Watch together.


14



The bull-sh*t never ends. Dealing with the bull-sh*t IS your job. If you think you’ll ever reach a “post-bullsh*t stage in your life, you’re wrong.


12, 15, 19, 21



It’s possible (even common) to feel conflicting emotions simultaneously. You can be glad you’re not with a girl and still be jealous if she finds a new love. You can be glad you’ve moved on and still miss what once was. You can be sad that something happened and grateful for something that came of it. Humans are complex. Two or more conflicting thoughts can exist in our heads at once. It’s not a betrayal or a character flaw.


17



Two instances when exercise is unhealthy: when you’re only doing it because you want to lose weight or because you’re terrified you will gain weight.


14, 18, 21



Plan a trip to Disney this year.


6



If you see a kid sitting alone, he or she might be your next best friend. Go say hi! Ask him/her to sit next to you / play on your team, etc. No need to worry about whether that person is “too cool” or “not cool enough,” they’re just a kid. Like you.


8



"Make yourself proud." Teach them to take pride in themselves - in their work, their behavior. Everything from a 3 year-old making her bed to a 10 year-old's homework. If they learn to keep going until they're satisfied it's done well, they won't need us to keep after them.


4



At the hospital? Always confirm your name and date of birth and why you’re there.


16



I’m going to keep from telling them how to feel.


4-18



In social situations it's better to talk too little than too much. Don't over-share with people you're not close to.


15



Put a few drops of tea tree oil in their shampoo bottle to keep lice at bay. If there’s a outbreak at school, add more. (Or spritz their hair with a tea tree oil solution.)


5-7



It matters more “how” you go to college than “where” you go to college.


16



Don't say anything out loud that you wouldn't want repeated or overheard. Don't email / text, etc. anything that you wouldn't want forwarded.


11-15



“Just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true. Your brain’s a little b*^tch and likes to lie to you.” -Elyse Myers


13, 21



Be a safe place. Teach them to be a safe place too.


12



“It’s best if we don’t speak for a while.” Practice it


19, 21



Drills (Writing pages of lines, grammar games,etc) Contractions, pronouns, commonly misspelled words, homophones like their and they’re, etc.) Drill drill drill! Written communication is so important and a simple mistake could cost big points at work.)


12



Listen to podcast “1912” about an incident of alarming racial injustice Forsyth County GA.


12



Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower.”


14



There is all kinds of darkness in the world- disease, accidents, natural disasters, etc. But the worst darknesses are man made: War, violence, poverty, injustice, indifference. Push back against all of it as much as you can. Light will beat the darkness in the end. Fight on the side of the light. Love, truth, beauty, creativity, connection and compassion.


20



Check out the Wolf Trap Children's summer theater.


4-11



Put down your phone and be in the moment. Teach this. Model this.


7



Sometimes, no matter how great a thing is it can’t make up for what it’s not.


14, 19, 21



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


11-18



“If you can’t figure something out, figure out how to figure it out.” - Paul Graham


18



Colin Powell’s 13 rules: 1. It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. 2. Get mad, then get over it. 3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it. 4. It can be done. 5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it. 6. Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision. 7. You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours. 8. Check small things. 9. Share credit. 10. Remain calm. Be kind. 11. Have a vision. Be demanding. 12. Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers. 13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.


11, 14, 18