Escape Adulthood

Rules That Don't Exist

We are constantly bombarded with rules that don't exist. This collection of “rules” comes from everywhere: parents, grandparents, politicians, first grade teachers, old dead white guys, and young celebrity trendsetters. We follow them (often subconsciously) for reasons that range from irrelevant to superstitious to downright stupid. Sadly, they often limit us from living better stories. Below are some we've identified so far. Did we miss one?

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Thou Shalt Celebrate Christmas on December 25th

Chris Clarke-Epstein is an amazing writer and speaker, as well as a beloved friend, mentor, and "Ahma Chris" to our kids. She was also an integral part of our most recent Escape Adulthood Summit. A while back, she told us about a special penguin-themed family tradition, and we're thrilled she was willing to write this guest post. And since today is World Penguin Day, what better time to share it? All my growing up years, our family – the whole family gathered on Christmas Eve for Swedish food, amazing story telling, and glorious present opening. We wound down the festivities in time for …

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This Week in Rule Breaking

Rules that don't exist are all around us, and they can keep us from living a life of awesome. In honor of the upcoming release of Penguins Can't Fly, we are posting a different rule every day on our various social media accounts, using the hashtag #notarule. Some are rules we've uncovered, others have been shared with us from people like you. Follow along on Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook or share your own rule here! #notarule but for anyone who's married, this one sure feels like it... Desperate times call for desperate measures. (Hat tip to Justin Connelly via …

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It’s Fun Breaking a Rule Every Now and Again

It sat there taunting me for over a month. It was a copy of Jack Staples and The Ring of Time, sent to me to review. I don’t normally review things, but I said yes, mostly because I am a fan of the authors. I read Circle Maker by Mark Batterson and Awake by Joel N. Clark and enjoyed them very much. However, both of those books are non-fiction, which is what I normally read. But fiction? Not so much, unless you count Dragons Love Tacos or The Day The Crayons Quit. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any fiction with infinitely more words than pictures. I blame my three kids. But I …

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This Week in Rule Breaking

Rules that don't exist are all around us, and they can keep us from living a life of awesome. In honor of the upcoming release of Penguins Can't Fly, we are posting a different rule every day on our various social media accounts, using the hashtag #notarule. Some are rules we've uncovered, others have been shared with us from people like you. Follow along on Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook or share your own rule here! This 7-superhero mural was made with 9,000 post-it notes. And there are probably 9,000 ways to make your office more fun if you're willing to break a few …

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Thou Shalt Always Wear Clean Underpants Upon Leaving Thy House

[ This is an excerpt from Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist, a beautiful and inspiring book that will help you uncover and break the so-called rules that could be holding you back from a life of awesome. Get it here! ] Moms everywhere seem to be united in their desire to make sure that if we leave the house, we do so with clean underpants. In case we get into an accident. Naturally. Because if you get into an accident, and you are rushed to the hospital, and the emergency workers are required to remove your underwear, and they discover that your tighty-whiteys are …

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This Week In Rule Breaking

Rules that don't exist are all around us, and they can keep us from living a life of awesome. In honor of the upcoming release of Penguins Can't Fly, we are posting a different rule every day on our various social media accounts, using the hashtag #notarule. Some are rules we've uncovered, others have been shared with us from people like you. Follow along on Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook or share your own rule here! Chip Lutz went to the trouble of demonstrating that this is "snot" a rule that doesn't exist. Tinye Harding reminds us that most fashion faux pas are really rules …

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This Is Genius

The reasons we homeschool are legion, but it has nothing to do with teachers. This video resonates big time. Reminds me of the Einstein quote: "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." The way we do school in this country is one big #notarule. …

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This Week In Rule Breaking

Rules that don't exist are all around us, and they can keep us from living a life of awesome. In honor of the upcoming release of Penguins Can't Fly, we are posting a different rule every day on our various social media accounts, using the hashtag #notarule. Some are rules we've uncovered, others have been shared with us from people like you. Follow along on Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook or share your own rule here! Sarah Hinderliter was the winner of the latest #notarule caption contest, taking home a print of her choice for posting the rule for this photo over on Facebook: Not …

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Thou Shalt Be Realistic

[ This is an excerpt from Penguins Can't Fly +39 Other Rules That Don't Exist, a beautiful and inspiring book that will help you uncover and break the so-called rules that could be holding you back from a life of awesome. Get it here! ] “I do have dreams, but I try to keep them realistic.” No one likes to admit they don’t have dreams. But no one likes to be called a fool, either. Or worse yet, a failure. After all, the bigger you dream, the more likely you are to fail. Claiming to have realistic dreams makes you sound smart. It gives the impression that you’re going places, likely to …

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#Notarule Caption Contest

Caption contest! What rule is being broken here? Winner will receive an 8x10 print of their choice! Leave a comment below - winner announced right here. Update: Winner is Sarah Hinderliter! Sarah posted this over on Facebook and we loved it: “Thou Shalt Not Be Comfortable In Thine Own Skin.” …

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