Question: What lessons do you hope to instill in your kids?

(Note - This is mostly a rant sessioin. Obviously I want to instill a lot more than just these two lessons in my kids.)

1. When you get married, MOVE OUT!
I've noticed a bit of a trend lately with some youngins getting married and then moving in with one of their parents instead of moving out on their own. Observe this passage in scripture:

Genesis 2:24 - For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

It doesn't get any more clear than that, folks. When you get married, you need to be on your own with your new spouse. I'm sorry if I offend someone out there, but that's how I feel.

The only exception I will make to this is if my kids have found a place to stay and the wedding date happens to be before they can move in. While that could be considered poor planning on their part, I'm not going to be crazy with this rule. But they don't need to get married with the intent of staying with me indefinitely. I'm sorry, but once they have decided to live with someone else, they've decided not to live with me.

The main lesson I'd want to teach here is that when they get married, they need to be ready to build their lives together on their own. And I don't think moving in with their parents and still having some dependence on them is a good way to do that. I'd love for my kids to live close to me when they get married. Just not with me.

2. If you aren't legally allowed to get married without my permission, WAIT!
Along the same lines as that last one - I've seen a couple of people get married before they are 18 and thus ask their parents to sign a paper saying they are allowed to do so. Again, I don't want to offend anyone, but that's just crazy to me.

I don't see any harm in waiting. Maybe that's because I started dating my future wife in high school and we didn't get married until we were 21. I can simply say that we were definitely not ready to get married before we were 18 even though it is obvious we would still be married now.

The main lesson I'd want to teach my kids with this one is that they need to make sure they are really ready to face the world on their own. And I don't think anyone can claim that at 17 years of age or younger in this day and age.

Question: What's a good book to read at the beach?

So it seems like every week one of my friends on Facebook is saying they are going to the beach. School is out and a ton of people choose the beach as their summer vacation destination. My wife and I are planning a trip to the beach later this year. If I had not already read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, it would have been perfect for our trip.

Why? Simple reason really. It is a BIG BOOK!

The book pictured is 1192 pages. So you could start it and pretty much guarantee yourself that you will not ever finish it while you are on your trip. It took me a very long time to read it. I think my wife read like 5 books in the time it took me to read that one.

Plus it's a really good book too. I read it last year because I heard it mentioned a lot during the presidential primaries. Even though it was written over 50 years ago, it is very relevant today.

To summarize the plot - The political leaders of our country keep passing laws to control/restrict our businesses. To the point that the executives of those businesses shrug their shoulders (hence the title) and leave. As that happens, the world starts to fall apart.

It is a very political book. But I think the story is good even if you don't care for the politics very much. And even though I felt Ayn Rand may have over-exaggerated the problems with a government that goes out of control, I think it gives interesting insights on what can happen when we give up the freedom's that our forefathers fought so hard to secure for us. And it definitely can give a different perspective on how politicians can spin even the worst ideas and situations into something positive.

I should mention that it is not a Christian novel. Ayn Rand was an atheist and she takes several jabs at religion in this book. If you can't or don't want to read anything with that type of content, then don't get this book. I will say that I think she makes some good points, but clearly I disagree with most of her perspective there.

Anyway, if you are planning a trip to the beach and would like a book that you can get lost in while relaxing in the sun, I think this is a good one. Just be sure to pack some sunscreen. :)