Every day, I write a note to each of the little ones to include in their school snack. Not just “have a great day! Love you!” though. Although it’s perfectly acceptable to make the note short and sweet, I aim to teach them a little bit each day. Teaching small life lessons, if you will.

Some encouragement for a rough time. A lesson on personal improvements. Dealing with hard times. Things to help them learn better ways to handle conflict and challenges.

Keep in mind, they are currently 11 and 7, so each life lesson has to be slightly altered for their age and understanding.

Today’s Example

As I write this, it’s quite stormy here. It’s been raining all night and no signs of stopping for the next 5+ hours. Flood warnings. Tornado watches. The whole nine yards.

My life lesson message for the older one was, paraphrased:

Sometimes storms come and cause a lot of damage. Car accidents, floods. But they also bring water for crops and wash away impurities. Remember: don’t let the bad moments in your life direct your future. Look for good outcomes.

- Selena B.

My message for the little one was, paraphrased:

Lots of rain can seem bad, but it also feeds the flowers, grass, and trees. Sometimes we have to look for the good things in bad moments.

- Selena B.

For my older ones, now almost 19 and 16, their notes are special text messages through the day and week to encourage them in all the struggles of HS and college.

Why do I do this?

To be quite blunt, they witness a lot of poor behavior and victim mentality from the other side of the family. So when they’re home, we aim to teach them good habits, manners, good work ethics, etc.

A small note relevant to recent events, like a storm or a bad grade on a test, becomes a teaching moment to encourage them and redirect their mindset for better decisions and a better day.

The hope is that when they become adults that they will be well-equipped to react and respond correctly to the difficulties of life. It’s important to learn from our challenges and make good decisions from daily life lessons.

Which life lessons can you teach to your young ones?