5 Things I want to teach my kids

I know it sounds cliche, but caring for our bodies goes beyond the old “diet and exercise” guidelines. I want my children to know how to cook from scratch and to recognize slow, real food when they see it.

I want them to crave an active life and not put junk in their bodies, but also enjoy a fantastic dessert and an amazing homemade pizza.

I want them to know every home remedy grandma taught me, and be able to heal their bodies at home. I want them to understand how their mental health depends on their physical health, and let it be ok to just never give up.

I am a big fan of sit-ins over stand-offs. I want my children to feel uncomfortable when they see violence, because it’s so opposite of how they live.

I want their wrestling and wild boy-ness (and girly-ness) to channel into passions of the heart instead of fists.

I want them to crave peace because it’s who they are, not just because it’s who I taught them to be.

Read more on teaching kids kindness >>

I want my kids to be people who don’t run from truth, even if it might change their entire worldview.

I want their minds to be always open, never stuck in an echo chamber or worried about what people think. I want them to see being a black sheep in this culture as a good thing, and to find faith deep in their hearts.

I want my children to recognize that piece of them that is “other” and to hold on to it their entire lives.

We’ve all heard that age-old saying, “Life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey,” but I want my children to make this a lifestyle instead of just a trite phrase. If they truly know rest — real rest — they will travel and sleep and eat and have so much fun doing it.

I want them to understand that life isn’t worth living without the in between, without margins or without leaving angst at the door. I want them to soak up rest daily.