Escape Adulthood

Archives for March 2025

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From Gold Stars to Gut Checks: Grading What Matters Most

My dad tells a story from his childhood when he received a report card with less than stellar marks. He didn't want to show his mom but knew she'd have to sign it before he returned it to his teacher. So he had the bright idea of placing gold foil stars over the offending grades, explaining they were a new sign of stellar performance. Once the signature was secured, he joyfully skipped to school, chucking the carefully peeled-off stars to the wind. Years later, when cleaning out Grandma's things, we found the evidence: an old brittle report card with a few stars still holding on for dear …

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The Need for Nipkins

The gauntlet had been thrown down. What choice did I have? We were on a road trip...somewhere. The details don't matter, but I'm pretty sure we were rolling up to Dairy Queen for some Blizzards. Someone in my family, probably my wife, challenged me to request extra "nipkins" at the drive-thru window. Not napkins, NIPkins. And with that, my honor was on the line. I could not allow myself to be shamed in front of my own children by failing to accept this summons. On that day, I am proud to say, I rose to the challenge, growing three feet taller in the eyes of my wife and children …

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Festival of Shenanigans | Escape Adulthood LIVE #117

On this show, we’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of the show and kicking off the first-ever Festival Shenanigans, the silliest 17 days you ever did see! Hang out with Kim & Jason Kotecki as they inspire, entertain, and encourage you in your fight against Adultitis. If you attend live, you’ll be able to see and chat with fellow Adultitis Fighters, have the chance to ask questions, and win epic prizes! ☕️ 🍺 🍷 🎥 New episodes: https://www.escapeadulthood.me🚨Get notified when new shows go live & replays are available here.🔗 LINKS FROM THIS SHOW: …

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Caught Not Taught

Teaching is overrated. Oh, did that get your attention? Good. Now let me tell you what I mean. As parents who homeschool, Kim and I have thought a lot about our role as teachers. And I've been fortunate to speak to thousands of educators over the years, encouraging them in a job that's become more difficult with each passing year. I don't think that teachers are overrated, just one particular part of their job. The teaching part. I've made many observations over many years as a homeschooling parent. It's clear to me that kids have no trouble learning. It's a built-in feature. …

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In Pursuit of Greatness

Ron Swanson, Timothée Chalamet, and my dad walked into a bar. Out came this article. Let's start with Mr. Chalamet, the brilliant young actor who received a Screen Actors Guild award for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. His acceptance speech caused a stir, not because it was controversial, but because it was so uncommon: "I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. …

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Expectations Are the Thief of Peace

Recently, I had a wonderful, tremendously productive day that felt like a failure thanks to one crucial mistake. It's a mistake you and I make all the time. I'll start by saying I find it incredibly helpful to plan my day the night before. As I've gotten older, my approach has gotten wiser. Rather than trying to squeeze everything into unbending blocks of time, experience has taught me to build in breathing room for the inevitable swerves that arise. Still, some days never have enough breathing room.  On this particular day, one project took waaaay longer than I expected, …

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have fun. defeat adultitis. win ice cream for a year!

On March 17th, we're unleashing a crazy list of 100 things to do, make, or find. You'll have seventeen days to complete as many as you can. Pride and prizes are on the line, and the person with the most points shall be declared the winner and bestowed the title of Grand Shenanigator!

Learn More & Register!

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