As a mom, I’m constantly worried about my kids. C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T.L.Y.W.O.R.R.I.E.D. I guess that comes with the territory. Will they be prepared to head out into this world? Will they be good people? Will they be OK when I’m gone?  Over their short lives, I’ve taught them many things: how to ride a bike, tie their shoes, the alphabet. But as they get older and begin to need me less and less, I hope it’s the intangible things that I have tried to teach them, that really make the difference. I hope that, over the din of my incessant preaching about their dirty rooms and doing their homework, they will have unconsciously absorbed the simple wisdoms that I have tried to impart to them.

Ten things I want my children to learn before they leave the nest

1. If you love someone, let them know
2. If you see a wrong, try to make it right
3. If it’s truly worth having, then it is worth the hard work to get it
4. If you believe in yourself, you will succeed
5. If you believe in someone else, you will help them succeed
6. If it’s the wrong time, there will be a right time
7. If you take things for granted, you will regret it
8. If you use your imagination, you will solve more problems
9. If you give kindness, you will receive kindness (and even if you don’t – do it anyway)
10. And MOST importantly… If you make a mess, clean it up!