Search This Blog

Wednesday 6 November 2013

10 Things I will teach my daughter

There are things that you notice as you get a bit older.  Those things are things you expect everyone to know, recognize, acknowledge or abide by.  These are the things you'd definitely want your child to understand and respect.  So with that here's my list for today:

1.  Don't ask for a lift, anywhere (to a meeting, to town, to the airport, etc) without paying for the gas required to get there.  It's rude. If the person says, "no, it's ok." Insist. Usually if you insist they will accept. If they then give a reason why they don't want to accept your money, then respect their wishes and go to number 2.
2.  Say Thank you - never, ever be ungrateful and take others for granted. 
3.  Give things to others without any strings attached. ie lifts to the airport, your seat on the bus/tram, a cake for a birthday celebration, help when you have the time to give it.  CAVEAT - make sure you're doing it without any strings attached, otherwise it's disingenuous.
4.  Say Please - it's just not your God given right to expect anything from anyone.  The world is half full of selfish people who don't really care too awful much about you.  Sure they pretend that they do but (like you), they really don't.  The other half of the world is divided into your mom and dad and maybe a best friend or two and everybody else.  This everybody else group (minus your mom, dad and best friend) really likes to do things for other people but will after a time or two (or maybe a dozen) stop if you don't appreciate it. Then there's your mom and dad and best friend who will probably go a bit further than everyone else but will eventually feel neglected, uncared for and unloved if you continue to not appreciate them or be polite.  Also these are the people who you should be treating better than everyone else anyway.  So if you ask for something, ask nicely, politely and always say please.  It will go better for you.  Then once you've got this down, refer to number 3 on the list.  The two go hand and hand together.
5.  Don't think your emergencies, priorities or stresses necessarily equate to anyone else's emergencies, priorities or stresses.  I love that sign, "Lack of preparation on your end, does not constitute an emergency on my end."  SO TRUE - respect those that work alongside you or for you.  Respect THEIR time like you respect your own.
6.  If you say you're going to do something, DO it!  It's much better to say no or maybe or we'll see then yes and then not do it.  Also make sure you are under a mutual understanding with the person asking of what timeframe "doing" it means.  If you say for example that you'll "do the dishes" but that to you means you'll do them next week at some time when you feel like it, you probably shouldn't volunteer to begin with.
7.  Never, ever, ever put something into print that can come back to haunt you.  This includes Facebook, Twitter, Email, Websites, Blogs, etc, etc.  If in doubt - DON'T write it down. 
8.  Get anything important - IN WRITING!  There are many reasons for this - people forget things, YOU forget things, people and especially companies will try to cheat/trick or rob you.  Protect yourself!
9.  It's no one else's responsibility but yours or as my grandma Abney would say, "OHIO - only handle it once"  If you open it - shut it, turn it on - turn it off, take it out - put it back, dirty it - clean it.

And last but not least and what actually prompted this silly blog note:
10.  If you're a girl - don't go pee before checking to see if there's toilet paper in the stall. Enough said.