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?
No doubt you’ve heard the cautionary tale. If you jump into a lake or swimming pool immediately after eating, there is a very high probability that you will cramp up and drown or get sucked into the pool filter or get eaten by lake sharks. Or something equally terrible. …
[Read more...] about Thou Shalt Wait 30 Minutes to Swim After Eating
This is what a doughnut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles looks like when my daughter Lucy is done eating it. I've never seen an adult eat a doughnut like this. Clearly, she doesn't know the proper way to eat a doughnut. Yet. One more thing we're gonna have to teach her, I thought as I snapped this photo. Funny thing, though. …
Pretend that you are five. And it’s dinner time. Now, if I were to ask you, “Would you like to have dessert first tonight?”, what would your reaction be? Kind of a no-brainer, right? You’d probably wonder if it was some sort of trick question because the answer would be so freaking obvious: YES! …
Bob Keeshan, also known as Captain Kangaroo, said, “Play is the work of children.” Most adults I know use play time as a reward for getting work done. Play becomes an incentive. It’s like a carrot. It works well for racehorses, and often works well for humans as well. For many, to play before the work is done often brings a great deal of guilt. Sound familiar? …
[Read more...] about Thy Shalt Work First; Play Later (After the Work is Done.)
During my speaking programs, I often give the audience a chance to complete an Adultitis intake. They are asked to answer a series of multiple choice questions about themselves in order to determine what stage of Adultitis they currently have (yes, there are multiple stages!). On a question that deals with dreams, the statement most people self-identity with goes like this: “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 …
This is a real doozy. Break this rule, and the fashion police will hunt you down and dress you in a baby blue butterfly-collared leisure suit with matching neckerchief. The so-called “rule” that one should never wear white after Labor Day has been with us for many years. Interestingly, even fashion world experts can’t agree on where this rule came from -- and yet many people still abide by it. Ridiculous! …
[Read more...] about Thou Shalt Not Wear White After Labor Day
Ever since you were able to hold a crayon, you’ve been instructed to color inside the lines. If you consistently color inside the lines, you are heaped with praise and judged to be a budding artist with tremendous upswing. The kids who regularly color outside the lines? Well, we’d rather not talk about them. …
Of all the rules that don’t exist, perhaps the most widespread is the notion that you are supposed to act your age. I’m guessing that this quip originated from a woman who caught her husband throwing things at the television while watching a football game. Or perhaps a high school teacher who was tired of her students firing spitballs across the classroom. As with any rule, there usually contains within it a kernel of common sense. In this case, it is, “Quit acting like an idiot, you moron.” …
In New York, women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business. In Fresno, California, no one may annoy a lizard in a city park. In Elkhart, Indiana, it is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kids’ ears. Although impossible to track, there are probably hundreds of thousands of federal, state, and city laws in the United States, with new ones being proposed all the time. That doesn’t count any of the rules enforced by schools and businesses. Interestingly, with all of the laws and rules on the books, the ones we often cling to most fervently are the …
[Read more...] about Dumb Laws and the “Rules” of Motherhood
Escape Adulthood! That’s our rallying cry. Maybe it’s obvious, but we’re not actually calling for everyone to ditch their responsibilities. We’re not advocating strict diets of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. And we’re not suggesting that we all quit our jobs to muck around with Play-Doh all day long. There are actually some sweet benefits that come from being an adult. (Ordering strawberry margaritas at a Mexican restaurant is just one of them.) The “Adulthood” we encourage people to escape from is the one they create for themselves when they assume childhood is nothing …
