Teach your children that they are valued.

My kids are successful because I raised them so that they would not be like me. I don’t mean in the good ways, but in the ways that haven’t been so good.

I won’t go into the painful details.

As parents we need to look at ourselves. Yes, of course, we need to celebrate what we’ve done right in our lives, especially what we did right before we had our children. We also need to look back at our failures and learn from our failures.

It doesn’t mean that a former wild child should keep their children under lock and key.

It means that we should teach our children that they are valued.

It means that we should encourage the painfully shy child to speak up.

It means that we should give our children a sense of fashion.

It means that we should teach our children to be confident and not become bully bait.

It means we should teach our children the meaning of self respect.

It means we should teach our children about reputation and how hard it is to get a good reputation back once it is lost.

It means we should teach our children to think beyond themselves.

It means to teach them to think of the future.

It means to teach them to be creative.

It means to teach them to have empathy.

It means to teach them to listen.

It means to teach them to stand up for themselves and their opinions. It means to teach them to value themselves. Yes, teach them that they are important and have value.

It doesn’t matter if your children are young or adults – the lessons still stand.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. Be kind. Don’t be a dick. Talk to your kids. Check in on those who are alone, or might need extra help.

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman