Book2MyKids "Content of the Week"

With school back in session, this week's content comes from the chapter on "Education"

"I remember the day I started college, the keynote speaker on our introduction day gave a speech entitled, "do what you are doing".  He talked about focusing on the task at hand, whether it is studying for a test, working at a job, talking to someone, or just having fun.  Try to focus on what you are doing without being distracted from outside influences.  As simple as the statement is, it really made a lot of sense, and one of the only speeches I recall from my college days.

Since this is a chapter on education, and the speech was given at my first day of college, I will relate this to your school career.  You will invest of tremendous amount of time and effort into school, with 16 to 18 years of school (assuming a 4 to 6 year college degree).  While you are in school, your study habits and even attentiveness in class will be greatly influenced by this philosophy of "do what you are doing".  Don't allow yourself to drift off, day dream or lose focus.  While you are in class, be in class, be part of the class, be an active participant.  When you are studying, study.  Don't allow yourself to get distracted.  You will have much more time for fun if you spend your study time in a focused manner.

And finally, when you are having fun, have fun!  Don't worry about school or studying when you are out having fun.  It is even important to keep your play time focused on playing.  When you graduate college and start a full-time career, you will want to make sure that when you take vacation, you take vacation and don't bring your work on vacation with you.  Do what you are doing."

Check out: http://www.book2mykids.com to write a book to your kids and give them advice on "Education"

“The 2nd Most Important Book Your Kids Will Ever Read”

Do your children know your philosophy on life? Do they know what your core values are and where you stand on important topics that impact their lives? Have you ever thought about putting it in writing?

A little more than a year ago I finished writing a book to my kids and gave them both a copy of the book on Christmas day. I have two teenagers; an 18 year old boy and 15 year old girl. My son is driving, and my daughter has her first boyfriend. A chapter dedicated to each of those topics can be found in my book! The book was about 80 pages long and covered all the important topics for a teenager: driving, sex, drugs & alcohol, God & religion, family, marriage, education, work, ambition, honesty & integrity, and several others.

In my mind the book served several purposes. First and foremost, it helped emphasize how much I love both of them. Receiving a personal book from their dad definitely made an impact on them. I try to make sure to tell both of my kids how much I love them every day, but putting that down in writing provides them something they will have forever.

Second, the book provided clear direction and guidance on many important topics. Sure, I have had the “sex talk” with our son, and my wife has done the same with our daughter, but there will come a time when they may have questions about sex and be too embarrassed to ask. I hope they will revisit that chapter in the book to look for my advice. I would much rather have them turn to a book I wrote rather than asking one of their peers or trying to figure out what is appropriate from a TV show.

Third, the book was an opportunity for me to share my deepest thoughts, my philosophy on life, what my core values are, and where I stand on important topics that impact their lives. My kids know my faith, but they may not know what I believe about the “Big Bang” theory, or my thoughts on evolution. They know that mom and I are married, but do they know our thoughts on marriage, dating or living with someone before getting married? They know that I am a “family man,” but do they know how important family really is to me?  

Fourth, the book leaves a legacy. Let’s face it, we are not going to live forever. Hopefully we will all live to see our kids get married and raise families of their own, but in reality many parents die before that happens. My dad died shortly after I was married, before either one of my children was born. My dad was an awesome man and a wonderful mentor who always had great, calming advice. I miss being able to talk to him and hear his words of wisdom. I would do anything to have a book from my dad now...

About half way through writing this book to my kids, I started to have such a passion for the idea that I began to develop a website called www.book2mykids.com to make it easy for other parents to do the same thing. This website helps parents put their thoughts into a book in an easy and organized fashion. There are suggested chapters and topics to choose from and a large selection of “shared content” that can be copied in part or entirety, with little or no modifications. Like a greeting card, if the message says what you feel, you can use the words as your own.

Please consider this kind of gift for your kids. Even if they don’t act like they appreciate the book today, they will certainly look at the book later in life and treasure the thoughts you put down in writing. Giving my two kids that book for Christmas was one of the best feelings I have had, because I know I am leaving them with my deepest thoughts and advice in a permanent form. I know they will look back at the book for years to come and hopefully one day they will do the same for their kids. Maybe they will even pass my book along to the next generation.

Book2MyKids Shared Content

This shared content comes from Bob Marley on "Love & Happiness"

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it's like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day's work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there's no need for continuous conversation, but you find you're quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there's a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that's so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." - Bob Marley

Check out: http://www.book2mykids.com to write a book to your kids and give them advice on "Love & Happiness"

Book2MyKids "Content of the Week"

Now that school and sports are back in full swing, this week's content comes from the chapter on "Sports & Exercise"

 

"You know that your mother and I have always encouraged all of you to play sports and be active. From the earliest age we were rolling and throwing balls with you. We got you on skis and sleds, we waded and splashed with you.

So why did we do all those things? To keep you active and to keep you fit are easy answers, but the real answer is to keep you involved. Busy kids are happy kids and we wanted all of you participating on teams learning new skills. Will being able to hit a ball with a bat really help you succeed in life? Will being able to kick a ball into a net make you successful? These skills probably won't be part of your future job requirements... (however I'm holding out hope of seeing you on the professional diamond, the gridiron, or in the Olympics - don't tell your mother)..., but the skills that you are really learning are sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork, leadership, accountability, strategy, tactics, motivation, courage, and humility.

As a coach, I have always endeavored to instill in each of you some key concepts.

1) Always thank your opponent. For without the opponent, you wouldn't have had a match.
2) Always thank your coaches. For without them, you wouldn't have a team.
3) Always win with class and lose with dignity.

When your playing career comes to an end, and they all do, we want you to have happy and fond memories, as well as strength of character and maturity. So play hard, play fair, respect your opponent, and be confident in your capabilities, but win, lose, or draw, do your best, and never be afraid to fail, for it is better to have tried and failed, then to have failed to try."


Check out: http://www.book2mykids.com to write a book to your kids and give them advice on "Sports & Exercise"

Book2MyKids "Content of the Week"

This week's content comes from the chapter on "Ambition"

"Do hard things. Life if full of challenges - embrace them and don’t run away from them. From the time you start school you will be challenged with various topics and classes. Some will be easy for you and some hard. The hard ones will stretch your mind and make you smarter. Don’t be afraid to fail. You still learn when you fail and sometimes your failures help you learn even more than your successes.

Doing sports and exercise can also be hard, but have great long term affects on your body, mind and spirit. Take a runner for example. They train every day by running more and more miles, putting their body through a hard workout. The runs can sometimes be difficult and painful, but at the end of each run they get a “runners high”, both physically and mentally. They have done something hard and the long term affect is to make them stronger and more able to deal with normal activities, both physical and mental.

The opposite of doing hard things is taking the easy way out - like doing drugs. Doing drugs makes life easier for the moment, but in the long run your body gets used to comfort that the drugs provide and you end up feeling worse when the drugs wear off. The long term affects are your inability to handle every day life.

Challenge yourself. The more you do, the better you will feel in the long run."

Check out: http://www.book2mykids.com to write a book to your kids and give them advice on "Ambition"

Book2MyKids "Content of the Week"

This week's content comes from the chapter on "Money"

"Give generously to those in need. No matter how much money you have, always find it in your heart to give to those in need. Don't wait until you feel you have plenty of money before you give to others - you may never feel you have enough money. When you see someone in the street that is begging for money, don't judge them. Imagine if that were you or one of your friends or family members. I guarantee you that you have more than they do and also have a better life than they do. So give something to them without judging them."

Check out: http://www.book2mykids.com to write a book to your kids and give them advice on "Money"

Mike Huckabee's book to his grandkids

DEAR CHANDLER, DEAR SCARLETT: A Grandfather’s Thoughts on Faith, Family, and the Things That Matter Most

“I wrote these letters so that long after I’m gone, you’ll know that I loved you, had great hopes for you, and wanted to give you my best advice on living in this tough world. If I can’t be there with you, I hope my letters will act as a sort of reminder of me—as if I’m standing there beside you, whispering in your ear, and putting my arm around your shoulder.”

Mike Huckabee has worn many hats through­out his life: pastor, politician, governor, presidential candidate, talk show host, rock bassist, pundit, husband, and father. But since his first grandchild was born, he’s found that the role of grandfather is more satisfying than just about any of the others.

Huckabee wanted to give something to his grand­son, Chandler, that would last forever. He began drafting a series of letters to Chandler recounting heartwarming stories from his past and the bittersweet lessons learned along the way. With the birth of his granddaughter, Scarlett, just a year later, Huckabee was further inspired to convey his love and wisdom.