what i want my son to know, part 1

no matter who or how you choose to love, as long as it's consensual i'm all for it.

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pink isn't just for girls.

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don't put anything on the internet you'd be embarrassed for me to read.

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your stuff does not define you. other people do not define you. where you live does not define you. what you know does not define you. only you can define you.

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college is not necessarily the answer. only go if you truly know what you want to do, and it's the best way to get there.

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life is precious.when in doubt, choose kindness.

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people are generally kind, thoughtful, and generous. don't be quick to judge them or think they're out to harm you.

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you can cross the street by yourself when you learn to ACTUALLY look both ways.

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books can become the gateway to another universe if you let them. so can music.

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i'm probably not going to care what you want to pierce, what color you want to dye your hair {or how long/short you want to wear it}, what clothes you want to wear, or how you choose to express yourself through fashion/art/music/vocabulary/etc - remember, i have shaved my head, dyed it almost every color of the rainbow, have tattoos, been pierced in a variety of places, and have worn some RIDICULOUS things. it probably won't shock me.

i will, however, care immensely over the content of your character and your soul. as long as those are solid, pierce and dye away!

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there is almost nothing better in the world than the smell of a little boy's hair after you've been playing outside. i'm sorry if it embarrasses you when i smell your head far too often in the summertime - i used to do the same thing to your uncles when they were little. it's like a drug to me.

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your father is a superhero. he quite literally has the power to swoop people up, make them feel more loved than they've ever felt, and set everything right in the world. never second-guess that about him.

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don't believe everything your grandmothers tell you ...