May you make yourself proud every day. That’s my wish for you. (I will always be proud of you.) xoxo

9, 14, 21

Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Collage plan


Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Finances   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Misquoting someone here: “It’s not about getting everything you want, it’s about giving everything you have.” Stuff will never satisfy. Pouring yourself into something heart and soul will.

16, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Finances  

You’ll never regret staying calm. Keeping your cool is a skill that you can build, and it will serve you in every single aspect of life.

11-21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Failed? Lift yourself up, or live there. You know the work you need to do, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, etc. So do it. Do the work. The only bitterness in failure comes from not having the guts to get back up again.

12, 16, 18, 20, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Grandpa used to keep a hundred dollar bill stashed discreetly in his wallet “for emergencies.”

17

Family & Home   Finances  

“It takes about 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” - Warren Buffett

12, 14, 16, 19, 21

Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Read biographies!

12. 14, 17. 19, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Start saving for retirement with your very first paycheck. Put away the MAX, you’ll never miss it. If the company doesn’t offer 401k then we’ll open a Roth IRA.

18

Finances  

Go in the direction that your peace comes from.

14, 17, 19, 21

Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Make a pound of ground beef go further by adding chopped cabbage or mushrooms.

19

Family & Home   Finances  

Sponsor a child in a developing country. Write letters, learn about their country and their life.

8

Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism  

Don’t waste big money on little things. Be intentional about what you spend.

16, 21

Finances  

Don’t have a clue? (Relationships / career / character, etc.) The solutions can be found in books. READ! Novels, biographies, history, religion, humor, politics, finance, sports, and whatever sparks your interests at the moment!) You’ll learn about the world, and you’ll learn about yourself. READ!!!! (or listen!)

12, 15, 18, 20

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Relationships & Career  

You can change your approach without changing your vision. Stay flexible. Things rarely go how we expect them to.

15, 19, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

***Manners!! *** Etiquette is the secret sauce. Everyone appreciates being treated with respect. Etiquette is the art and science of respecting others. It’s timeless and universal. Customs change, hence the need for constant study, but respect is always the foundation. In summary: Be nice. Start with yourself. Study etiquette. It will help you in every single interaction you have, social, professional, financial, everything. Manners apply to every human, in every interaction, even on the hard days. Hence, the need for practice.

3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

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

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Be discerning about your sources of information. Some red flags: Too good to be true. Get rich quick. Chosen race. Any race or group blamed for societal problems. Fear of change. Threats of real or metaphysical harm (I.e. $@!#%) or bribes with reward.

12, 14, 16. 18, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Emotional Development & Mental Health   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Save where you can. Spend when you have to. Splurge every once in a while.

15, 21

Finances  

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

Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism  

“Pay yourself first” means save before you spend. You never know when you’ll need to tap into savings, so build it up early and heartily.

18

Finances  

Start saving money early. Save as much as you can. There are plenty of things worth spending your money on, but be mindful about your money - Don’t p*ss it away.

15, 20

Finances  

Open a Bank Account

8-12

Finances  

Have them practice making trade offs based on their financial priorities. For example: Pedicure or movie?

9

Finances  

Buy life insurance when you're young.

21

Finances  

Having an expensive hobby opens doors.

14, 16, 18, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Finances   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career  

Have a yearly “review” right before school year. Raise allowance as appropriate. If they want more money, they’ll have to take on more responsibilities.

7-17

Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Finances  

1

Micro-internships. Check out Parker Dewey for ideas.

16, 17, 18

Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Finances   Relationships & Career  

Begin planning trip for 10th bday. Maybe to Atlantis in Bahamas or someplace he’d be excited about._____Get him involved in planning and saving.

8

Finances  

Start “home economics” school with them. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, how to change a diaper, comfort a baby, soothe a toddler, what's involved in caring for pets, budgeting for food, keeping track of maintenance schedules for humans, pets, cars and machines. Engage with guests, be a good host, etc. Know when and how to tell someone to GTFO of the house (racist or misogynistic speech, etc.) Every kid needs to learn the art and science of home management. Look for and point out examples in books and movies of good home science skills.

5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21

Family & Home   Character, Education & Self-Reliance   Sports, Health, Safety & Appearance   Arts, Literature & Self Expression   Science, Technology, Skills & General Knowledge   Fun, Adventure & Travel   Faith & Philosophy   Finances   Nature, Animals & the Environment   Social Justice, Civics & Humanitarianism   Relationships & Career