Sibling Dinners, New Website & Teachers Quitting

1. New Website​
Did you notice this newsletter now comes from josh@joshguerrieri.com? I finally finished my new online home. While you’re there, grab Part 1 of Before They Leave, my playbook for staying connected to your teen in the years that matter most. I really think this method can completely change your relationship with your teens.

2. Why Teachers Quit​

A must-watch for parents. As the husband of a teacher, this one hits close to home and captures much of what educators have been sounding the alarm about over the last several years. Sure, there are arguments that parts of the system are broken, but parents play a role too. Let’s make sure we’re helping, not adding to the challenge.

3. “Dream School”​
I’ve been enjoying some of the ideas from Jeff Selingo’s new book Dream School, especially his point that “high school should not be a four-year tryout for college.” That line really landed for me. The tension is real because top colleges often reward exactly that behavior. I recently made my own video reflecting on a decision one of my high schoolers made that pushed back against this mindset.

“Siblings: children of the same parents, each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together.” — Sam Levenson

“Our siblings resemble us just enough to make all their differences confusing.” — Susan Scarf Merrell

Sibling Dinners

Once a month, we hand our five kids a credit card and send them out to dinner together. Just the siblings.

We only have two rules: one picture as proof of life and no phones at the table.

As a bonus, everyone can get either a drink or dessert. It’s a bonus because at our house we generally only spring for the finest of tap waters.

Meanwhile, my wife and I get our own little date night, which mostly consists of us trying to guess what their table conversations are like.

When they get home, we don’t interrogate them.

I love it because they’re learning things that have nothing to do with school. They interact with businesses. They practice manners (hopefully). They learn how to make conversation and navigate relationships.

But that’s probably not even the main reason. We’re trying to lay the groundwork for something bigger.

Someday these five won’t live under the same roof anymore. They’ll have jobs and spouses and kids and calendars that are way too full. Our hope is that they still want to get together to catch up no matter how far they’ve drifted from home.

We’ve even told them this: as adults, if all five siblings can assemble for dinner, à la the Avengers, we’ll always pay.

That feels like a pretty good investment.