The end of high school is fast approaching, and with the pressure of college and senior prom it feels like this year will be a blur of emotions. Due to the long list of things I must accomplish in the next 10 months I'm scared of missing the point, of overlooking the important lessons I'll learn along the way. At the risk of sounding like an after school special, I deeply feel like high school has more to offer than beer pong and AP exams. These past three years I've grown more than ever, and it has less to do with my age and more to do with my experiences. I may not be wise or knowledgable or logical, but I do know some things that I don't want to forget when I'm older.
For when you grow up:
- always validate your kids' feelings
- don't succumb to the pressure of age
- talk to your kids about sex (and not just about its dangers)
- watch the news with your kids. read books with them. watch movies with them. do arts and crafts with them. cultivate their interests.
- never call your daughter fat
- DON'T embarrass her in front of her friends
- don't teach her to obey men, and don't teach your son to feel superior to women
- keep in touch with old friends
- sit down to eat with your family every day
- ALWAYS go to your kid's play/game/recital. ALWAYS
- when somebody you love is sad, sit with them and whisper reassuring things until they're happy
- be kind to the kids at school from broken homes
- take baby pictures and take home videos
- just because somebody is feeling a certain way for the wrong reason doesn't mean they aren't feeling it. be there for them.
- never stop learning
