Our oldest child turned 13 this week. Yes, he's now a teenager. One of the gifts we gave him was a copy of Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris. I bought two copies, one for him and the other for me, so that we can read it through together and discuss along the way. I'm already on page 93 and am underlining quite a bit and scribbling notes in the margins! This is good stuff! Some of it is affirming, some is challenging. 

The book is about a simple but important idea, that teenagers should rebel against society's low expectations of them, and the best way to rebel against these low expectations is described in three simple words: "do hard things." 

In other words, embrace challenges. Take responsibility. Change the world. Today. Because you're no longer a child. The book has tons of examples and stories of teenagers from around the world who decided to make their motto, do hard things. 

It's a good message for us parents, too.  If anyone else picks up a copy to read with their kids, send me a message and let me know how it goes. Maybe we can start our own tribe of families who raise kids to rebel against low expectations by doing the hard thing. That would be cool.