So in various conversations on TRP, guys raised by single mom's have mentioned that they'd like a list of lessons that father's teach. Here are a dozen that I put down on paper (or electrons) some from my dad, some from other dads, etc.

Best of luck to everyone.

Believe in Yourself. In order to reach your goals, you have to believe you can accomplish them. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of people around to tell you that you can’t do something. Those people are talking based on their own limitations, not yours.

Take risks. It’s ok to make mistakes. Learning from mistakes is important. Push yourself. Dare to do great things. And if you fail, get up, dust yourself off, and get back at it. Don’t play it safe all the time. Columbus wouldn’t have found America if he never left the harbor.

Face your problems. Call them by their names. Learn to solve them yourself. That’s what brave people do.

Life is tough. You are going to be knocked down more times than you can count. It’s not the number of times you get knocked down that matters. What matters is that you get back up, and keep fighting for what you believe in.

Work Hard. Work hard, and rest afterwards. Be responsible. If you do a half-assed job of something, expect to get called out for it. A lot of people miss out on opportunity because when opportunity knocks on your door, very often it’s dressed in overalls and looks like “Work”.

Always get the other guy’s side of things. There are two sides to every story, and while those sides can be “Right” and “Wrong” that’s not often completely the case. When you’re wrong, admit it. If you owe someone an apology, make it and mean it.

Make Your Own Decisions. Just because someone is more educated than you are, doesn’t mean they know what’s best for you. If you make mistakes, let them be YOUR OWN mistakes, not someone else’s.

Loyalty is Not a Character Flaw. People remember who was still their friend when things got rough. Hold on to those people, and shred the assholes.

Keep your word. Once you break it, it’s broken forever. The day will come when you need the benefit of the doubt, and if you have a strong reputation for honesty and integrity, you will get it.

Respect is earned. It’s earned through keeping your word, and doing what you said you’d do. You can’t buy character, and money is a shit way to keep score.

Don’t Quit. Winners win; losers whine.

Never Put That First Cigarette in your mouth Then you will never have a problem.