Advice...

About a year ago Moss and I decided to write down some things that we thought our kids might like to hear and hopefully they will be more willing to read them then listen to us talk for hours about how much we know. The cool thing is that we wrote these down when we were pretty young, (compared to how old we will be when our kids can read this) so maybe they will be more likely to listen. I am mostly posting this so we can have a hard copy somewhere on the internet in case our computer crashes or something. But if you would like to read enjoy and leave comments of any advice you may have of your own. Some of it is a little personal but I hope no one gets offended:) You can probably tell which stuff I wrote and which stuff Moss wrote haha Someday we will add more to it as we learn more...


Advice from Your Parents

Started on August 12, 2007
As your Dad and I drove home from church we started discussing what we wished we would have known when we were younger and even now that we are only 6 months married. We then decided to make a list on things in different categories that we will are important and may better you lives. You can take this as you like and use it or ignore it, we just feel that as your parents we would be hindering if we did not share some of our wisdom or lack of
School:
· Since you are related to us, (mainly your dad) you are going to be smart, but be careful to not let this play against you. For instance if you have the opportunity to skip over a class because of your intelligence be careful because you might not learn the basics of the subject even though you may be able to test out of it later.

· In any grade just be nice to people. I know by now you have probably heard that popularity does not matter and it really does not in the long run. I am not talking about when you are out of school but even in high school if you decide to run for any offices or anything like that. If you are nice to people from the beginning and do not try to put yourself above other by putting them down you will reap many many rewards from restraining from that practice.

· If at all possible take concurrent enrolment classes (if they still exist when your are able to). We may have tried to put you in a private school , but we are still really poor so we will see if that happens. It will feel so nice to be able to know that you are already way ahead of the game when you graduate from high school. And even greater plus is the school will usually pay your tuition.

· Have you ever wanted to get paid for going to school? That would be sweet wouldn’t it? (Is “sweet” still a cool word to use? Is cool?) Well if you follow these instructions, you will get about $5,000+ just handed to you…if you get good grades. By just getting all A’s you can get free money! Sounds good huh? College is expensive and probably will be way expensive by the time it’s your turn to take a turn at it so just get good grades please! We will all be grateful for itJ

Socially

· Let me tell you a story about a boy who was so cool in high school. I would say the most popular boy. He parents were rich and gave him everything; he was the star of all the sports teams and was quiet the ladies man. Well about my senior year, he started to do drugs and other stupid things that to some people made him even cooler on the outside. He even flew off a mountain in his truck because he was on drugs. I even tried to help him a little bit seeing as he was in my ward. Well as cool as this kid was right when grad-night was over everyone thought he was the stupidest person they had ever met. Now that all the high school games were over and you were not being put on a scale of how cool you were everyday, people perspectives changed very quickly. He has recently gone on a mission which we are all shocked but I guess he turned his life around or something like that but there are some people who still think he is the same person. I know it’s not all about being cool in other people’s eyes but when you are representing your self don’t you want to have a good name.

· This brings me to my next point; throughout your life you will be told that you represent different people. Whether it be the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , your family, or where you work. Remember that what is most important if none of these other things make you want to be good it your represent yourself. You only have one chance at life and if you are rude or do stupid things no matter what you will always remember them. If you decide you think it would be funny to do a prank like throw rocks at a house of steal someone car you will probably get caught and have that on your record FOREVER! When you go to get a job, you will have to tell them that, when you go to get a house with your spouse you will have to tell the loan people that. Wouldn’t you hate it if your spouse had done something like that and you couldn’t get a house because of it well make sure you are not that person.

· To contrast the above story I once knew a girl who was like the nicest person a live. I went to school with this girl since I was in elementary school and I saw first hand what being a nice person can mean for you. By the time high school came around everyone loved her, people would say her name and only talk good about her. She recently got married and pretty much everyone in town was there because she has been such a good example to so many people and obviously her parents were way nice people too. She didn't ever do some huge act of kindness that I can recall but she was just always saying nice things to people leaving notes for people, she was surrounded by many good friends and it just seems to me that being nice can really pay off. There are many people that I know that are like this and they are the ones you can depend on when you need them most.
Financial

· Try your hardest not to buy crappy stuff, in the long run it will pay off if you pay a little more to get something good, IF it is within your means.

· If you choose to get a credit card at a young age (18 we suggest) don’t let a month go by that you do not pay it off. If you get lost in credit card debt it is horrible to try and get out of and it is a great benefit to your future spouse if you are debt free.

· Follow prophets advice only go into debt for school, a house and maybe a car. (If you like we will discuss these things further).

· Start saving your money early and get a job early so you can do so. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to pay for your own things and know that you have money in the bank for any emergency that will come up in the future whether you are single or married.

· Don’t waste your money on stupid things, you’re an intelligent person you know what you need and what you don’t. Eating out everyday is the best way to throw away your money. If you are still living at home just stop by for lunch I will cook you up something good (hopefully I am good at cooking by then).
Church & Serving a Mission
· Serving a mission can teach you many things not only more about the gospel but also about all of these other categories we have mentioned. You will learn how to live on a budget, live on your own, how to really study, rent an apartment, buy and sell cars perhaps, live with someone even though you may not like them, live somewhere other than where we live and things are run there and many other things.

· Don’t just memorize a bunch or scripture, learn the gospel and know what you are talking about. Know at least a little but about all of the stories that are told not only in the Book of Mormon but also in the Bible.

· You will probably run in to some anti-Mormon literature on your mission or even before hand. Since you are related to me (your dad) you will probably want to read it. Before you do make sure you understand the tactics on argumentation and debate and how to identify fallacies and then realize although something may be surprising to you don’t think it will surprise many faithful members of the church. They are all old arguments package differently repeatedly. DO NOT be afraid to talk to me about these things I try to keep up on the anti Mormon literature so I can be ready to defend the truth.

· Obey the prophet if he says to not get a girlfriend or boyfriend before you or they have been on a mission it’s probably a good idea to listen. Although you cannot see the immediate effects of the decisions, we can tell you about them from first hand experiences. If you want, we will gladly discuss with you what some of the outcomes may be.