You are a wonderful person and your mother and I think the world of you. It will not be long before you leave home to make your way in the world. Can I please give you some friendly advice？Here are some things that you should never do.

You are great and capable of achieving great things. So believe in yourself.     1    Some girls get depressed, blame themselves and lose self-esteem. All sorts of problems can follow.

Throughout life try to keep your spending within your income and so save a little. Avoid getting into debt if possible. There are some exceptions — like getting a mortgage to buy a bouse — but generally if you can live within your means you will avoid all sorts of problems.

We think you look great(though some of the outfits you wear worry us!)    3     Eat sensibly, take exercise and be healthy. Some girls become obsessed with losing weight or getting no the perfect shape. You look fine.

Never put yourself at serious risk. This means that you cannot trust people until you really know them and that sometimes you have to avoid things that look like they might be fun. Never get drunk or take drugs. Unfortunately there are some malevolent people out there and it is best not to take undue risks.

    5     Whatever difficulties you encounter you can always talk to us and we will try to help. We are here for you.

【推荐3】Communication is important in all families. Families with healthy communication form strong connections with one another.     1    .

Actually talk.

    2     For instance, in addition to answering “Fine” when your parents ask how school went, try adding an anecdote (轶事) about the day. This will help when you need to talk about the big things.

Ask them about their day.

This one can help you with the first point.     3    . If they’re stay-home parents, ask them about how the day at home went. Such small talk won’t be small to them. It’ll be a big deal, and they’ll appreciate it.

Do the small things.

When we say small things, we mean things like helping clear the dinner table, helping put away groceries, and not leaving personal belongings around the house. Those are little things, all of them.     4    , which can make things between you and your parents better.

Do the big things.

What we mean here is the basic stuff you hear from adults all the time — show up for school, or be respectful to teachers.     5    . That will be okay, because — based on tips 1-2 — you’ll be able to communicate about those things, clear up misunderstandings, and do better next time.

Tell them you love them

If you say that and hug them, well — you win.

【推荐1】Alonzo Carter, also known as Zo, is currently a football coach for the San Jose State Spartans in California. He’s trained countless student athletes, which often means his previous job in the hip-hop industry goes unnoticed. But not always!

Back in 1989, he and a few of his college friends auditioned (试演) for a music video. The song? MC Hammer’s still-unknown classic, Let’s Get It Started. They were hired on the spot and soon went on tours with him! As the summer came to an end, Zo assumed he’d return to college to finish his degree and reclaim his spot on the football team, but MC Hammer gained great popularity and started taking over the airwaves. Zo had a huge decision to make and ultimately joined MC Hammer as a permanent (长期的) backup dancer! But Zo couldn’t shake his passion for football. He eventually left the group to return to his high school in Oakland, California, where he began coaching track and football.

Decades later, Zo is one of the most well-known and respected college football coaches and doesn’t call much attention to his hip-hop beginnings. But at a training practice in 2017, a familiar song started playing over the PA system (广播系统). It happened that the head coach Brent Brennan had caught wind of Zo’s past and wanted him to show off his moves.

Without missing a beat, Zo dived in and started doing the Hammer Dance he had helped create all those years before. The moves came to him as easily as they had done back in the day, and his players obviously couldn’t get enough of his impressive talent.

Zo is a good reminder of how surprising career paths can be. Just think what would have happened if he hadn’t gone to that audition! The Hammer Dance wouldn’t exist as we know it, which would be a real tragedy (悲剧).

【推荐3】Eden Gross wants kids to know that they’re not alone when they feel afraid. “I get fearful sometimes,” said the Florida fourth-grader, who has often been drawn to dark stories. At age 8, Eden started writing songs to deal with her fears. Last month, she released (发行) her first song, “Shadows on the Wall.” It’s for kids everywhere who have problems with mental (精神的) health. The point of the song is that the fears “aren’t reality,” said Eden, now 10. “I am bigger than these fears.”

Eden began writing “Shadows on the Wall” in 2019 after attending the Throga Retreat, a youth singing program about two hours from her home in Parkland. There, she met Johnny Cummings, a New York-based singer, songwriter, and producer. After the program, the pair worked together each week through Skype. They finished “Shadows on the Wall” and a second song, “The Last Kid on Earth,” which centers on the idea that although each person is different, we all feel alone sometimes.

Eden wants more grown-ups to understand the influence of COVID-19 on children. “They’re used to running around, playing with their friends. Getting used to new realities was really hard,” Eden said.

Eden and her twin brother, Jordan, recently marked one year of distance learning (远程学习). It was unusual at first. They weren’t getting used to it and missed their days in school. “The Internet has become our whole world,” said Eden. “Technology has become our new way of connecting.”

One lesson from COVID-19, said Eden, is to “find a way to do what you love and be who you are, no matter the environment.” For Eden, that means spending time with the family’s pet, Ollie, and continuing to follow her dream of music and writing. She’s busy with her third song, “The Voices.” “It’s about judging (评价) yourself in your head when you say, ‘I’m not good enough,’” she said. “And then realizing, ‘I am good enough. I am good enough for me.’ ”

【推荐2】Nick Vujicic is a great speaker, born in Melbourne, Australia on the 4th of December, 1982. He has no arms and legs. There is no medical explanation for it. In school, he was the first disabled child to be integrated into the Australian school system. He was laughed at, avoided and not included on purpose from games. At age 6, Nick tried some prosthetics (假肢) but they were more of restriction than aid because they limited his movement. Apparently, he had learnt how to do some things without them. Unfortunately, he severely battled with depression at age 8. He felt he would always be a burden for the rest of his life. These thoughts made his prospects in life as a fantasy. He just had one desire arms and legs, that's all.

At age 10, though his home was a refuge from the external storms, he couldn't manage to deal with the rejections he faced outside. Then he tried to drown himself but the love he had for his parents discouraged him from doing so. Nick had his Bachelor's degree in commerce at Griffith University. One day, his mum noticed his situation affected his life and decided to show him a newspaper article that featured a man that had a severe disability, much more than Nick's.

From that moment on. Nick Vujicic became grateful for life. He also said he found peace after he got his relationship with himself. Although he couldn't make some things happen easily, he believed it was not what you had but what you did with it. Therefore, he frequently tells himself he is not afraid to fail or try again. Today, He writes up to 43 words per minute, can throw tennis balls, play the drums, get a glass of water and also answer a phone call.