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| my gorgeous stepdaughter <3 |
1. Yes, your freshman year counts towards your GPA for college entrance. Screw it up and you’ll work for crap wages your whole life.
2. No means NO. In every possible circumstance.
3. Join every sport, every club, every after school activity no matter what the cost. It's cheaper than bail.
4. Repeat after me: I am never in that much of a hurry…I am never in that much of a hurry. Now say that every time you get behind the wheel. It will save your life and that of your best friend in the seat next to you.
5. Don’t smoke pot. It ruins your
short term memory. (Did I already say that?)
6. Don’t ever get a credit card. Ever. You earn it or you live without it.
7. If I yell at you, it’s because I love you. And also, because you pissed me off. To avoid the latter, stop being an idiot.
8. Make a vivid picture inside your head of every great moment of your childhood. You’ll need those to get through adulthood.
9. Make snow angels as often as possible.
10. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
11. Be always benevolent. Yes, that’s a word. Look it up.
12. Call me for a ride even if you are so drunk you barely know my number. I’ll probably be mad for a while but I’ll respect you for calling and I won’t kill you. Riding with someone who is drinking will.
13. Be a leader, not a follower. Unless you are doing stupid things, then follow the kid with the highest GPA.
14. Love your siblings, even when you don’t like them. Some day you will be trying to get them to take care of me in my old age. If they are mad at you, you are stuck with me.
15. I’ve been there, done that on more things than you can imagine. I’m not stupid and I know what you are doing. I was once you (times ten).
16. Work hard at everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth being the best at.
17. Cover it. (Enough said.)
18. When I tell you to clean your room, do not point at my messy room and raise your eyebrows. I’m trying to raise you to be better than me.
19. Learn to type; to budget; and to pray. All are equally important.
20. Never be sedentary. Some day soon you will no longer be able to move like that. Enjoy it.
Children Will Remember
As parents, we spend our lives trying to be good enough. Trying to keep up. We worry that we’ve failed. We worry that we’ve screwed up our kids to the point of no return because somehow we’ve not been good enough…as parents. But let me explain something.
Our children will not remember their childhood the way we think they will.
Our children will not remember their childhood the way we think they will.
They won’t remember if your hair was doing that ‘woohoo’ thing at their Christmas concert. They will remember that when they entered the gym, their eyes scanned the bleachers and locked with yours.
They won’t notice if they found their cereal bowl in the cupboard or in the dishwasher or even if they had to wash it themselves once in a while. They will remember that on Sundays, you made happy face pancakes.
They won’t have a clue that one Christmas you were flat broke and they got fewer toys. They will remember that you made them a quilt out of old t-shirts and they will use it to swaddle their own children.
They will not remember that you cleaned and scrubbed while they were playing outside. They will remember that once you knelt in the dirt pile and vroomed Hotwheels with them all afternoon.
They will not see the holes in their jeans, care about mismatched socks, or remember what brand of purse you carried. They will remember the smell of daddy’s t-shirt he let them wear to bed...long after he's gone.
They won’t remember going to the theater with friends. They will remember being pressed against your thigh on the couch, watching a movie, one hand in the popcorn bowl.
They won't remember that you didn't hike as fast as they did. They will remember that you climbed to the top of the steepest mountain, just to show them the view.
They won't remember that you didn't hike as fast as they did. They will remember that you climbed to the top of the steepest mountain, just to show them the view.
They will never recall the smell of the fancy dinners you prepared on the holidays. They will remember every single hotdog they cooked over an open fire and the way you knew they didn’t like mustard.
They won’t care if their bed was never made or that the blanket didn’t match their curtains. They will remember the way it felt when you tucked the blankets around them and called them a burrito baby.
They will not care what you looked like in a swim suit. They will remember that you went on the field trip to the pool anyway and were the one parent who didn’t sit to the side and watch.
They will not have lifelong damage from mud overdose. They will remember the way the ooze felt between their toes and the look on your face when you found them…and joined in.
SO step away from the dishes. Leave that pile of laundry on the couch, forget about homework once in a while. Unclench your jaw and relax. That’s what I’m going to try to do.
* Be sure to check out Backwoods Mom on her blog, and also on Facebook
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