🍬 Tricked not Treated

You can never be too old for Trick or Treat. 🍭🍭

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Had a friend this weekend ask:
“Why do people discourage teenagers from wearing costumes?”

No clue, man. 🤷🏻‍♂️
It beats the alternative of them sneaking around causing real trouble.

We understand the whole societal hierarchy totem pole concept, when they decide they’re “too cool” 🆒🆒

Somewhere along the way, society convinced kids they need to “grow up” as if joy has an expiration date.

Legally, under 18 is still a kid. Honestly? Under 25 still feels pretty damn young. 🐣

So why rush it?
Let them serenade in their youth as long as they can.

It’s a time we all wish we could revisit. ⏳

Point is, let kids be kids.  Don’t rush them to grow up. 

Time flies by and will be gone before we know it.

Bottle these good moments up, you're gonna need them someday 🖼️

How do we know?

Because in a blink you’ll be staring down 40, wondering what the hell happened. 😵

But instilling responsibility, accountability and confidence allows them to harness that youthful energy and passion into a dangerous combination of high potential and creativity. 🔥

Look out world!

🪞 Mirror, Mirror...

Would 10-year-old you be proud of who you are now?
18-year-old you? 25-year-old you?

Tapping into your inner child isn’t just nostalgic it’s a strategy of instinct. 🧠

If you were still a kid, would you like the way you parent?
Could the discipline use more reassurance than rigidity?

One thing we’ve personally attempted to adapt to: Trading control for curiosity

👉 Curiosity creates.
🚫 Control kills.

The tighter we squeeze, the more pressure kids feel and anxiety follows.

We have so many things to juggle as adults, there’s no need to pass that onto children.

Every child processes life differently. 👨🏻‍🔬

The way our three boys handle stress, humor, and emotions couldn’t be more opposite.

Seeking what actually makes them tick individually helps us dramatically.

This changes our approach to each one separately, and sometimes we just simply lose our minds 🤪

But by dropping down to their level and seeing life through their eyes, we don’t just understand them better we become more adaptable and playful ourselves.

And science agrees!

staying mentally young and playful directly fuels a child’s curiosity and emotional growth.
PubMed study: Parental responsiveness and children's trait epistemic curiosity

And that’s the key. 🔑

Things might just seem a little simpler if we develop a habit for divulging into your juvenile thoughts
(💲cash money records taking over for the ‘99 and the 2000’s )

💡 Forever Young

If you know me (Adam), you already know: I’m a big kid.

And if you don’t know me well, I present to you the evidence:

Cartwheels. 🤸🏻‍♂️
Airwalk dance 👟
Video games. 🎮
Cartoons. 📺

I may go over-the-top Halloween for my costume EVERY year. 👻

Becka calls it “extra.” Friends say I go “150%.”
They’re not wrong.

But chasing that youth helps me forget I’ll be 40 next year 😧

God forbid I become the boring old crotchety man yelling at kids to get off my lawn (although I do have my moments 😂)

The mantra of youth helps me connect with our boys when life gets tricky.

Honestly, it will keep you grounded. (now go to your room!)

Because when “B” (our 7-year-old) is struggling, the best thing I can do to think like a kid. 👇🏻

🚸ELI5

Have your kids ever asked a simple question that you didn’t know how to explain? 😶

Or wondered how to answer certain questions for adults without demeaning their intelligence? 🤓

What about the office meeting, where something was discussed and you had no idea what they were talking about? 🙋🏻‍♂️

Of course, you have.  We all have.

Allow me to introduce “Explain it like I’m 5”

A technique used to simplify complex ideas into language that is easy for anyone to understand.

Similar to helping a five-year-old understand something they never experienced.

It involves using relatable analogies and examples to break down complicated concepts.

“Dad, why is the sky blue?
How do cars go faster? 
Where does the toilet water go?”

Unless you’re an expert in astrophysics, mechanical engineering or drainage systems you probably can’t answer these off the cuff. 

Similar to a doctor using all the scientific terms to explain your symptoms, these definitions may sound like a foreign language.

What if someone explained it to you like you were a smooth faced 5-year-old??

All of a sudden, it’s extremely easy to understand.

Isn’t life easier when things actually make sense?

AI has a great tool to help educate us on topics we are unaware of.

Need a simple explanation?  Check out: 
ELI5 - Free AI Learning Tool for Simple Explanations

⏳ Back to the Future

This week we challenge you to drift off into the younger version of yourself and pick around that adolescent brain. (not up the nose, silly)

Remember what lit you up.
What made you curious.

Then let your kids stay there a little longer, too.
Marvel at how their imagination builds their world.

Maybe feeling like a kid yourself is the energy boost you needed this week.

Worst case, you go on the trampoline too long, take a couch nap and your legs hurt for the next 2 days.

Am I speaking from experience?  Maybe..

But now it’s your turn! 

Stay curious. Stay playful. Stay That’s B.A. 👊🏻

Inspirational Quote

"There's great value in being able to step back and laugh at yourself, at life, and at attitudes. Laughter helps you put everything into perspective." - Jim Henson