After reading the blog, 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son, I decided to start making my own list of lessons that I have learned in my life that I want to pass on to a son one day. So far, I have 100. Feel free to comment with some of your own lessons.
- 100% fruit juice is better than most drinks made by man.
- A good listener doesn’t just wait for his turn to speak.
- A handshake is better than an autograph.*
- Anybody who says they don’t gamble doesn’t move either.
- Anything a self-help book can teach you can be learned better by paying attention to life.
- Anything that changes value so often as money isn’t worth devoting your life to.
- Ask how and why, but be respectful.
- At least remember what book of the Bible the verses are in. I know numbers can be hard to recall.
- Be nice to the younger kids. Reputations are built over a lifetime.*
- Cats do not make good friends.
- Choose to drive under the speed limit. You’ll feel more in control.
- Dessert is a luxury, not a necessity.
- Doing laundry is easier to learn than the guitar. Do it for mom.
- Don’t be afraid to think about death. It runs in our family.
- Don’t drink an alcoholic beverage unless you actually like how it tastes.
- Don’t fill up on bread.*
- Don’t pretend to come from somewhere you don’t.
- Don’t pretend to enjoy watching sports if you would rater be doing something else.
- Don’t sell back your textbooks.
- Don’t take her to the movies on a first date. You should be talking to each other, and nobody likes a talking moviegoer.
- Drink more water.
- Even the most physically attractive woman is going to get old or plastic surgery. Think about the future.
- Extremism is only befitting of the worship of Christ.
- Figure out a personal style and get comfortable with it.
- Figure out how much money you actually need to live and use the rest to make somebody’s life more enjoyable.
- Find a friend you can watch baseball with.
- Find a hat that you love to wear.
- Get to know her family. Even if they are tools.
- Get to know the people you buy your food from.
- Giving somebody a gift card or cash usually just means you didn’t care enough to figure out what they wanted.
- God is always first. Don’t put that kind of pressure on anybody or anything else.
- God is going to test you. I’m going to let you figure out why.
- God took a Sabbath. You have no excuse good enough not to.
- Grammar is more important than it seems like in elementary school.
- Have heroes who know they aren’t perfect.
- If the cops only give you one phone call, make it me. We’ll figure it out.*
- If the movie has John Goodman, Tom Hanks, or Paul Newman in it, it is most likely worth watching.
- If you are going to smoke and drink, do it with men who are smarter than you as often as possible.
- If you are going to smoke, smoke a pipe. It is more pleasant to people around you, healthier, more cost efficient, and you will look like a scholar.
- If you constantly tell people what you are doing and thinking, pretty soon you will be the only one who cares.
- If you ever hit a woman, you better hope I’m not alive.
- If you have to start the fight, it is probably not that necessary.
- If you tell people what to do and they don’t do it the first time. Assume you weren’t clear enough. If they still fail after clarification, it is on them.
- It is okay to make jokes when you pray. God has a sense of humor too. Just look at the Platypus.
- It is okay to not know things. Mysteries keep life interesting.
- It is rarely, if ever, all about you. Learn to think of what other people are going through.
- It’s okay to cry in front of people who love you.
- It’s okay to embellish your stories a little bit. Your friends will appreciate it.
- Keep jumper cables in your car.
- Know how many people are in the room with you.
- Know your limits and stay away from them.
- Learn a dead language. (I recommend Hebrew.)
- Learn all of history, not just the good parts. (Gangsters built the larger American cities.)
- Learn some funny voices for your kids. They will love you, not judge you.
- Learn to cook. You have a better chance of not staying single for long, but if you do, you will be able to take care of yourself.
- Learn to do things without any electricity.
- Learn to drive in the snow if for no other reason than that you will be able to make fun of people who can’t.
- Let people tell their stories. Get your own.
- Let your friends fight over who gets to be your children’s godfather.
- Listen to classical music now and then.
- Love is not a feminine concept.
- Make up at least one word in your lifetime.
- Memorize some Winston Churchill quotes.
- Minimalism is masculine, except on holidays.
- Never have headphones in if there is a friend nearby.
- Never say more than you need to.
- Never underestimate just how much it hurts a woman to walk away from her.
- Never use a 7 syllable word if there is a 2 syllable word with the same meaning.
- One glass of scotch is enough for the night.
- Try to stay out of endless arguments, cockfights, and politics.
- Pornography is adultery against your wife or future wife. The mental images won’t go away after you get married.
- Read biographies. Experience is the best teacher, even if it isn’t your own.
- Read from Joshua and I & II Samuel regularly.
- Read good stories. Don’t let people tell you fiction is inferior.
- Read the instruction book. Don’t be afraid to search the help file.
- Read the news, but don’t worry about most of it.
- Silence is a valuable commodity. Learn to love it.
- Some people aren’t athletes.
- Some things that are funny aren’t worth hearing.
- Sometimes your best bet is to bet on her.*
- Sometimes, you’re going to do stupid things. You will look less stupid if you can acknowledge them.
- Start your own list like this early.
- The only thing this life can’t take away from you is your worship of the LORD.
- Traditions should help you connect to your heroes in the past.
- Try your steak medium rare.
- Turn off the music if you are on a date.*
- Use the internet for learning.
- Watch Braveheart.
- Watch documentaries.
- When you become an adult, dress like one.
- When you’re with new friends, don’t just talk about old friends.*
- Whenever you decide to stop taking criticism, you will stop getting better. I hope you’re perfect by then.
- Write, even if you are bad at it.
- You are going to have to trust somebody. Even if it is only one person.
- You don’t have to be a creative genius to be romantic. You just have to be sincere.
- You may not know how to fix the problem, but you should offer to help in any way you can.
- You must learn to be patient. All of your relationships with women depend on it.
- You will usually regret anything you do out of anger.
- You’re going to realize one day that girls aren’t gross. Soon after, you will find out that they are just crazy.
- You’re probably not going to like college, but at least try to.
*Concept borrowed from http://rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com/
