Things I Say To My Kids That Are Just As Relevant For Me (And You, Too, By The Way)

Whining gets you nothing.
You can make a good choice no matter what anybody else does.
Be kind.
You can find a nicer way to say that.
You need to eat good foods to be healthy.
Just worry about you and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.
When you're done with something, pick it up and put it where it goes.
You need to think before you open your mouth.
You can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be grumpy.
It's OK to be grumpy, but it's not OK to be grumpy at other people.
You don't need to have the TV on every minute of the day. Go find something to do.
Don't be disrespectful to your dad (or your mom, or your brother, or your sister).
You get back from the world what you put out there into it...and that's true of everything else, too.
Use your brain, please. It's good brain, I know it works, so please use it before you speak/act/do/choose.
I love you. You are important to so many people. The world is a better place because you are in it. Who you are, right now, just as you are, is awesome. Always, always remember that.