Ever since my kids hit school age – or old enough to interact with their peers, their siblings, their cousins and were old enough to understand – I’ve tried to impart one very important lesson to my kids. It’s really very simple, though it’s a very important concept that a lot of kids never really pick up on. If I can make sure that my kids UNDERSTAND and BELIEVE this bit of wisdom, then I’ve done my job.

It’s deceptively simple.
It’s just this:

The ONLY thing that you can control, is YOU, and your reactions to other people and situations. Period.

Inorite? It’s something so simple, that it amazes me when the teenagers don’t understand it. There will always be people and situations that are upsetting, or hard to deal with. We can’t change other people – we can’t be the ones to fix them. All we can do is make sure that WE handle the situations that arise with patience, dignity, calm, and intelligence. We can’t control how other people react to anything, or how they treat us – only how we in turn react to them, how we treat them.

It’s deceptively simple, but also something very hard to put into practice. I should know, I’ve been working on it my entire life, and I still have problems sometimes. It’s a lifelong process, and why I started to work on it with my kids at such an early age.

And I’m not the only one that gives out this advise! I mentioned Hey, Josh once before, and still, Josh = Awesome! His most recent short film, 8:22, tackles the age old problem of “What do I do about my parents?!” It answers the question sent in by teens, whose relationships with their parents are awful, and asks what to do about it.

As always – there is some REALLY good advice in there. So don’t skim over the pretty youtube! Check it out – and send it to a friend, or family member who may need to hear it too.