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Life advice from Modern Family‘s Phil

There’s no advice like Phil Dunphy’s. The Modern Family dad regularly offers his tips to his TV kids on how to successfully navigate through life, but should you listen as well? Here are some of Phil’s most memorable Phil’s-osophies.

Should you take Phil Dunphy’s advice?

There’s no advice like Phil Dunphy’s. The Modern Family dad regularly offers his tips to his TV kids on how to successfully navigate through life, but should you listen as well? Here are some of Phil’s most memorable Phil’s-osophies.

When life gives you lemonade, make lemons

You read that right. Though it might sound backward, Phil says, “Life will be all like, whaaat?” That was our thought, too, but when you really think about it, isn’t doing something like making lemons out of lemonade against the norm? Isn’t that what life is all about?

Dance until your feet hurt

“Dance until your feet hurt, sing until your lungs hurt, act until you’re William Hurt.” We do love The Big Chill.

Think inside the box

We applaud Phil for thinking outside the box with his inside-the-box advice. This is definitely advice you should take — we just advise you to not phrase it the same way Phil does here.

If you get pulled over for speeding…

…tell the policeman your spouse has diarrhea. We’d be lying if we said we’ve never used that excuse.

Act like a parent, talk like a peer

Phil calls it “peerenting.” We call it genius. Everyone knows talking with your teenage daughter or son can be, well, awkward. While Phil’s moment captured here with his oldest daughter, Haley, is a little awkward as well, we can all take away a piece of advice from this Phil’s-osophy. If you’re having trouble communicating with your teenager, try stepping into their world.

You only get one chance at a first impression

This is true — if you’re talking about meeting someone for the first time, not actually doing impressions. Though we do love Julia Child — and Phil’s impression of her.

If my son thinks of me as one of his idiot friends…

…then I’ve succeeded as a dad, according to Phil. While we get what Phil is trying to say, and think it’s very sweet, we don’t advise going the wrong way on the escalator or using an Australian accent when you’re clearly not Australian.

More Modern Family articles

Our favorite TV dads
Modern Family tackles sex and the teenage girl
Fiction meets TV: A Modern Family mashup

Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC.com

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