73 things I want my kids to know

Have you ever stopped to think how much there is to teach our children? I’m not talking about the things we actually tell our kids.

Things like:

Look people in the eye when you talk to them
Hold the door for your mother and sister
Say excuse me if you belch
Don’t pee in the pool

These lessons all matter, but they focus more on raising children than raising adults.

Take a second and think about everything you wish you knew as an adult, but were never taught.

Here is my list:

On failure/failing
On being humble
On attitude
On buying stuff
On learning
On being true to yourself (also known as integrity)
On doing things well
On being honest
On curiosity
On responsibility
On trying new things
On persistence and determination
On giving back
On food and health
On money
On hard work
On time
On worry
On passion vs. pay
On perspective
On taking action
On family
On self-confidence
On goals
On the words you use
On experiences
On sports
On networking
On procrastination
On taking risks
On public speaking
On mentors
On communication
On expectations
On commitment
On admitting mistakes
On living in the moment
On getting an education
On saving money
On inventing
On impatience and instant gratification
On popularity or being “cool”
On imagination
On writing
On sales
On fixing things yourself
On productivity
On self-discipline
On reading
On the friends you keep
On compound growth
On meeting new people
On what I want to be
On asking for help
On marriage
On deciding how to spend time
On candor and feedback
On titles at work
On fear
On storytelling
On disappointment
On happiness
On laughter
On problem-solving
On art
On adversity
On apologies
On uncertainty
On leadership
On opinions & peer pressure
On giving back
On getting things in order
On gratitude

Our children may pick up some of these things from watching us. There may even be an opportunity to discuss these life issues before they head off to college. But, I don’t want to leave it to chance.

My idea is to take each life lesson and turn it into a letter to my children. They may read it this year or they may read it ten years from now. I’m fine either way.

Part of the exercise is figuring out what is important to say about each lesson. Then I need to tell the story in a way to make it stick. I’ll publish each lesson on my blog in case others find it valuable.

Do you want to help? Look at the list above and let me know if I missed a lesson you wish you learned earlier.

Note: since I first wrote this list, it’s gotten longer. Before this is over I may have 100 lessons!

Every week you wait, the gap widens.