16 Things I Want My Nephew To Know

1. Smile at everyone you meet

2. Manners cost nothing: Please & thank you can take you far in life

3. Don’t follow the crowd: Those cool boys wont be cool forever. Don’t do something you’re going to regret because everybody else it.

4. Be nice to girls: Don’t mess them around, don’t cheat, don’t play them off each other.

5. Be nice to everyone for that matter: Include the new boy, chat to someone who looks lonely, don’t say mean things.

6. DO NOT overshare on social media: No matter how tempting it is to post to make your life look good. Do not post anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see. Trust me.

7. Be humble: Don’t brag, don’t name drop, be proud of your achievements doesn’t mean having to rub it in someone’s face.

8. Tip your servers

9. Eat your vegetables

10. Study hard: Slightly (very) hypocritical of me, but please learn when it’s important and just do – take it from the Queen of procrastination

11. But also have fun: Don’t sacrifice your school or university years. I probably didn’t work hard enough but I enjoyed it so much. The work is definitely important but so are the memories

12. Have safe sex: Don’t be stupid

13. Explore: Travel the world, travel the country, get to know your city inside out. Try new foods.

14. Sometime just say “fuck it, why not?”: Do things that scare you, take risks. Some of the best decisions are spontaneous ones.

15. Your parents really aren’t always against you: They care for you more than you will ever know

16. I love you: I didn’t know how much I could love until I held you in my arms. At the moment, I can’t even imagine loving anyone more. Never forget that. Even when you’re all grown up and it’s not cool to be friends with your aunt, you will always be my #1.