Things I want to Teach my Sons

Things I want to teach my sons...

1) Treat people kindly.
Not just girls/women, but treat everyone with respect, whether they deserve it or not. I hope I can teach them to help those in need as best they can. Offer to lend a hand, help out. Hold the door, clean a mess (that one will be tough). Don't be rude. Share. Be accepting of everyone. This is a diverse world and it takes all kinds to make it go 'round.

2) Hard work will get you farther than the short cut.
Work hard, even if no one is watching. If you're going to do something you might as well make it worthwhile. Take the extra time to do it right. A lot of times, if you rush through something in a hurry to get it done, it gets done wrong and you (or someone else) will have to do it again. Do it right the first time. In school, work hard to get the best grades you can get. So you're in Primary (kindergarten), not ready for university? Without a good foundation the whole structure is worthless. Work hard and make it a habit.

3) Life isn't always fair.
Some people have all the luck. But if you've worked hard (see #2) the luck will come to you. Eventually. 

4) Sportsmanship 
 Play to win, but if you lose that's okay, too. Winning is fun, losing is educational. Congratulate the winning person/team for a good game, and understand you can't win every time, someone has to lose. It's a game and about having fun. If it's no longer fun, it's no longer a game.

5) Love science - ask questions, find answers, discover more questions.
The great thing about science is that if you have a question and set out to find the answer either through research or experimentation, you're bound to come out of it with more questions than had at the start. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to find the answers. Never stop learning.

6) How to dance.
HAHAHAHAHA Never mind... I'll get mom to teach them this one. I've got the rhythm of  a June Bug. I can do the 8th grade shuffle pretty good though. But I dance anyway.

7) How to cook
Not just hotdogs. Real food. Hamburger, chicken, fish, steak, casseroles, veggies, spices. Canadian, American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Korean (I need to work on those, myself!). Don't be afraid to try new foods. Or old foods in new ways. They will know how to use the settings on the stove, the difference between baking and broiling and how timing can be everything.

8) Be proud of what you do
"That is an awesome Lego tower you just built but your brother just knocked it over with one kick. " Create for the sake of creating. It'll only take a second to destroy something that took time and hard work, create anyway. The joy is in the creating. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Be proud of your accomplishments, no matter how big or small they are. But don't brag about them, others will notice without you having to say.

9) Believe in a "higher up"
Something can't come from nothing. This universe wasn't created from nothing. Believe in God wherever you find God, in church, in nature, in yourself.