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


14, 15, 16, 21



“Just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true. Your brain’s a little $@!#% and likes to lie to you.” -Elyse Myers


15, 21



I’m cool with “C”s. Do good work but don’t put too much pressure yourself.


14



Listen to The Moth (storytelling) together.


15



YouTube Hank Green “Study Hall.” It talks about navigating the mess of college and career choices, like choosing a major (and what a major is!) What interests align with which majors, etc.


12, 15, 16



Make a Shutterfly book for each year and give it to them on their birthday.


5-18



Follow your dreams…not your boyfriend’s.


16



Always clean from clean to dirty. Wash glassware first, greasy dishes last. Sink and tub first, then toilet. Then floor. Top-to bottom is another general rule.


13, 18



Learn what triggers you. It’s probably just two or three things. Work on your issues


14, 18. 21



Every “yes” to something is a “no” to something else. Take your time processing the choices - write in your journal, sweat it out, listen to music, talk to someone you trust, read books from experts. Once you’re clear about what you’re giving up, let it go and don’t look back. (Remember there’s no advice that’s right more than 99% of the time. Always trust your gut. Just remember an impulse isn’t the same thing as a gut check.)


15, 16, 19, 21



Don’t take criticism from people you wouldn’t take advice from.


16



Read “Raising a Screen Smart Kid” by Julianna Miner before you consider giving him a phone.


10



Try not to say insulting or hurtful things, but NEVER write them. (Texts, notes, emails, etc.)


11



You think you’re smart now but just wait. Your brain is just getting warmed up. Feed it: books, travel, music, mushrooms.


14, 17, 21



Pay attention to what people do and what they say. Try to look past their appearance. This is especially true for women, who are almost always judged primarily on the way they look.


12, 15, 19



Plan out first concert.


11



Best song for a good cry: “And so It Goes” by Billy Joel.


15, 21



There is so much darkness in the world - keep pushing back against it every way you can. Be a force for good.


14, 16, 21



No absolute restrictions on food but stress that some foods are “party food.” Chips, for example. (I love potato chips!)


4



Read Admiral William McRaven’s autobiography Sea Stories.


17



If you ever borrow someone’s car, return it with a full tank of gas.


20



Just let a sweet moment be. There’s a time for jokes or small talk, but sometimes silence is best.


15,21



If your partner doesn’t want to commit to you, it’s not a matter of convincing them. Even if you get them to walk down the aisle that’s not the problem. It’s not that they don’t want to get married, it’s that they don’t want to BE married to you. And that is not a problem that will go away even if you manage to “get” them to commit. Walk away or spend the rest of your life pulling them along. F that.


21



Start explaining wants vs. needs. Continue explaining for the next 30 years. We don’t always get what we want. That’s okay. 4 year olds can begin to understand this.


4



Teach them about Oliver Cromwell’s rule: “I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.” Leave room for your mind to be changed by new evidence or perspective.


14



Never any point in arguing with drunks or fools.


17



When you feel sad, mad, confused or in any way upset, go to a quiet place to catch your breath. If you can sit with it and let it tell you what it wants to tell you, then you become its friend. But if you try to deny the feeling, or numb it, it grows much stronger and it fights you.


9, 13, 19



Let’s talk about how we can bless people - with what we have and by how we act.


7



Talk to him about applying to Democracy Summer program started by Rep. J. Raskin.


18