Things I’ve Learnt From My Parents (And Other Influential Adults)

• Alcohol isn’t something to rely on. It’s fun to occasionally get tipsy/a bit drunk, but regular drinking can affect relationships and make a big hole in your wallet.
• Be physically affectionate. When you’re really close to someone, you can tell they love and care about you, but it just feels tense if there aren’t hugs and the like.
• Fuck traditions. Listen to the younger generations. They’re not stuck in routine and far more willing to learn more, especially if it goes against the norm. You obviously don’t have to take everything they say to heart, but contemplate and research it.
• Form your own beliefs and stand by them.
• Look after your mind, body and soul. You’re not a fitness nut for valuing exercise. The energy from a healthy lifestyle feels amazing.
• Make new friends and stay in contact with old ones you still value. Friends never go out of style.
• As long as it’s what you want, do whatever to your body. It’s yours and you should be happy with it.
• Talk to people. Be it calls, internet, doesn’t matter. Keep in touch with friends and family on Facebook, greet strangers on the street, just connect with people.
• What is offered on the internet doesn’t stop the need to travel. The world is huge; explore every bit of it.
• Stay true to who you are, but also accept that time moves on and things change.
• Continue to enjoy the things associated with kids. You’ll find they’re wiser than you think.
• Educate and be honest with your children. Tell the truth about how babies are made, explain that body hair and pimples and all that are completely normal and even that sex is more than baby-making and is pleasurable when done right.
• Teach them to be assertive and to say no when needed. Don’t let them think that they have to do things just to make a person happen.
• Don’t use schoolyard bullying as an excuse for fancying someone. If you’re into a person, be nice; don’t pull their hair and stab them with pencils.
• Rather than going for the easier option, always consider that no one is the same. Punishing a boy for wearing a dress may discourage him from being himself (or even her/themselves), emphasising that little girls should dream of finding their handsome prince charming not only forces them to believe that they are nothing without a man, but may also label a girl interested in other girls as a freak.
• Laugh. Loudly. Laugh huge crazy guffaws. You’re happy; show it.
• Don’t sexualise everything. Girls are not “sluts” for wearing shorts and singlet tops. Rather than bitching about your sisters, try being nice. Or at least don’t say anything mean.
• Keep reading. Time goes a bit crazy sometimes, but always make time for books.
• Go on adventures. Big, like trying a new sport or travelling, and small, such as eating new food or changing your walking route.
• Continue to love yourself. You’re a majestic human and deserve to treat yourself with as much kindness as possible.