Jim Higley

A validation that gives them an absolute conviction that every day has purpose. That every minute they are given can be a minute of good. And I want them to feel the joy in validating others.

Take your time finding the right guy. And have a healthy, real-life attitude about dads. Expect great things from them because they can deliver! I want you to see the full spectrum of their value in parenting in the same way I expect the father of your future child to see the full spectrum of your value.

It’s the one room in the house that I freely leave in a state of mess, shut the door, and forget about it. It’s my secret room.

“Ask questions, and listen, really listen, to what your kids have to say.

These kids come in our lives and most of us start to figure things out. We figure out childcare. We figure out our respective roles. We figure out how the money works. And mostly, we figure out that we have to be flexible because no two children are the same.

She was funny. That embarrassed me. She was candid. That embarrassed me. She was the volunteer school lunch lady who talked to every kid. She was tireless and collapsed in bed every night.

Kids desperately want respect. Even when they don’t show it towards you. They want to be heard.

Studies regularly confirm that it’s things like character that counts. Stuff like curiosity. Grit. An inquisitive nature. Persistence.

You proved the power of play. And you played often. In nearly every memory I have of you, your were smiling.

My childhood world was a fraternity house gone adolescent — compounded by the death of my mom when I was 14. And while I knew love in abundance, I didn’t know a thing about girls.

I know when you punish your child, you punish yourself. Be careful with the sentence you hand out. And, trust me, a six month grounding is stupid.