Here’s an incomplete list of the rules and creeds I try to live by and wish others would as well and random things I believe. (I’m sure I’ll think of more as time goes by):
1. Your kids come first. If you want to be with someone who already has kids, accept that they come first, and are part and parcel of the relationship. Don’t like their kids? Move on.
2. Base your opinions on first hand experience whenever possible, treat everything else with a grain of salt and a shitload of logical consideration.
3. Never scream, except on a few rare occasions (ie. a horse stepped on your toe, you just got your cellphone bill, etc.) And never ever at your children. Do you enjoy being screamed at? Does it make you want to fall in line or believe the screamer? If your point is strong, people are more likely to listen if you don’t yell. Unless they’re idiots, in which case, screaming probably still isn’t going to help.
4. Ditto if you must resort to irrelevant insults/ad hominem attacks.
5. Never stay with someone who calls you names, and isn’t joking.
6. Never react purely out of anger.
7. Relationships worth keeping are the ones that improve all involved. If they make you a lesser person than you were before them, move on. To paraphrase the cliche; love is always hand up, not a shove down. This applies to friendships as well as romance.
8. You cannot “babysit” your own child.
9. In my experience, any large company that touts a strict code of ethics; is gleefully trampling all over it.
10. If you are going to do something for anyone, never do it because they wanted or demanded it, but because YOU wanted to do it for them.
11. I’m not sure where I stand on spanking, but I am DAMNED sure you should never physically discipline out of anger.
12. Never argue with a stupid person, ignorance can be rectified but stupidity is permanent.
13. 2 wrongs don’t make a right. 3 lefts do though.
14. If you must lie to someone to retain your friendship with them, they aren’t your friend. Your lie’s friend, sure, but not yours.
15. If you must respond with, “but ah loooooooves him!” when asked why you stay with someone it’s a very good sign you should leave.
16. If someone truly loves you, they will never want to see you hurt, ever. Not if you make them furious, not if you ignore them, not ever.
17. If someone tells you “It’s for the children!!” it probably isn’t.
18. Respect is often more powerful than fear…especially in the long run.
19. Always strive for more information/knowledge.
20. Never make meaningless apologies.
21. When attending a social gathering with food that involves dips, never dip the same piece of food you just took a bite out of. *shudder* I damned near vomit just thinking about it.
22. Always turn off your lights before you let your dog out at 3am if he’s unusually frantic to get out. That way the neighbours might not realize that the 20-30 second long 100dB shart they just heard came from your yard.
24. Abiding by forced morals, does NOT a moral person make.
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