Things You Need to Know When you Leave Home (from personal experience)

• You will not starve. There are homeless shelters that will feed you if things get bad.

•  Your allowance will buy a truck load of Ramen Noodles.

• You can burn the place down if you don't check the oven for pizza boxes before heating it up.

• The oven is not a place to store red peppers.

•   Red peppers, when heated in the oven, will cause the house to fill up with smoke that will cause you to have to evacuate for hours.
• Boiling water is harder than it looks, be sure to set a timer before you walk away, or the next thing you hear may be the fire alarm.

•  "just this once" never means that.

•   Nothing good ever comes from "do it, just this once."

•  Money does not grow on trees, but if you run out you can get money by cutting trees and selling the wood.

• If you wear your jeans for a week, they stink. 

•  If she doesn't think you hung the moon, she's not the one.

•  If your friends are always finding your faults and pointing them out to you, they might be better friends than you think they are.

•  If your "faults" that your friends find are illegal or immoral or are hurting you or others in some way - listen to your friends.

•  If your "faults" are because of your friends' bad influence, get new friends.

•  Being "quiet" is not a fault, but don't be afraid to talk to your close friends. Or parents. They don't bite. They love it when you share your feelings with them.

•  If you think you can't work and go to school and make good grades, you are mistaken. At any point, your parents could lose their 4 jobs or get sick and not be able to work or just get sick and tired of being sick and tired...

• Appreciate what you have been given.

• These are not the best years of your life. That is yet to come. And will, with hard work and determination. 

• Set goals. Write them down. Get there.

• If you love someone, they should have similar goals for the future. 

• If your heart gets broken, it will heal.

• Learn what's important and don't sweat the rest.

• Be grateful - and show it.

• Actions - actions - speak louder than words: that means don't just say "thanks," do something in return for what you are thankful for. It may not be money, or extravagant gifts, just a small act of kindness.

•  Study hard and keep your grades up. Your parents will feel like their hard work is paying off. And it's a way to show appreciation for all you are given.

• The best way to make the right kind of friends is to be the right kind of friend.

• That "do unto others" advice works pretty well.

•  Listen - really listen - to what others are saying to you. Repeat it back to yourself if you have to. Try to read body language and between the lines  to understand what they are really saying.

•  Find out who's making straight A's in that class you hate and sit near them - not to cheat, but to make friends so they will study with you.

• Call or text your mom just to say hi every night. 

• Pay if forward. Whatever is done for you, do for your child(ren) someday.

• Someday your parents may be as dependent on you as you are on them. They will try to remember how kind you were to them and they will try not to abuse your kindness in their old age. They will try not use all your "play" money that you have worked so hard for. They will try to clean up after themselves, until they need diapers, that might be a problem. They will expect you to keep them fed (and they won't want Ramen Noodles, either, but understand you can call it a meal if you throw in some chicken).