What we want to teach our children

travis: i was consulted, and contributed at least five of these letters! LOL

amy: i've put a lot of thought into this... i've already got my list of 109 things I want to do... but this is different. I want to give my girls something that in the heat of the moment, they will remember. Hell, I don't even remember all 109 things on that other list...

I don't take credit for the initial thought of this. I was listening to talk radio the other day on my way to work and a guy said he only ever remembered three things his dad said. I don't want my girls being interviewed in 30 years and have them say they remember so little of what travis and I are trying to do to raise them...

Be Brave, Be Honest, Be Kind

those were the three things the interviewee said he remembered from his father. That doesn't suck. But if those are it, it's kinda lacking.

So if we were to make a list, a safety net, a primer in how to handle any situation, we think we'd take the alphabet approach:

a – accountable – for every task, every action, be accountable

b – brave – I do like that one... don't be scared to try something new

c – compassionate – if everyone were compassionate all the time, well, things would be different

if the girls were to consider the abc's before every decision, we think good decisions would follow... if we were to think of a lesson-able letter for the rest of the alphabet, they would be:

d – determined – be determined in anything to which you have set your mind

e – energy – use the energy necessary to complete the task

f – faith – faith in the outcome, faith in the people with whom you choose to surround yourself, faith in yourself

g – giggle – it's healthy

h – honesty – yeah, this is a huge one; humor – that's another good one... have a sense of humor and don't take yourself too seriously

i – intelligence – don't ever let anyone ever make you doubt it

j – jammin – don't be afraid to dance and act like a fool... life is short, have fun

k – kindness – you don't know what anyone is going through on any given day... be kind

l – love – do everything with love in your heart and LISTEN...

m – marriage – don't do it... it isn't the end all be all for a relationship...

n – negative nellys – they are everywhere... don't let them sap your energy, they aren't worth it.

o – optimism – don't always think it will rain... it can't rain all the time

p – persistence – don't ever give up

q – quality family time doesn't have to be planned... sometimes it just happens, be open to the opportunity to make every day a memory

r – respect yourself always... and raccoons are evil, that is all

s – stay true to yourself and your beliefs; don't let anyone let you think differently about who you know you are

t – trust – this is hard to do... but I expect you to try

u – understanding – give the benefit of the doubt often

v – velociraptors are cranky... stay away from them

w – whenever you find yourself in a position where you are confused, scared, in danger, whatever... CALL us... we'll always be here for you, no matter what

x – x=1... things are much simpler when you get rid of the noise and focus. Usually the simplest answer is the right one... when you hear hooves, think horses... all of those cliches... they aren't far off.

y – you can do whatever you want, as long as you are willing to accept the consequences

z – zeal – approach everything with zeal