I learned that pretending you don't have feelings makes you feel unhappy and unfulfilled and, ultimately, is what really makes you vulnerable because you are hiding from the truth.

A wholesome family is one where there is a lot of love. It's living by example. It's acceptance of people at their core, but it's also pushing each other to be our best selves and try things we might not be good at.

If you have expectations, you try to put your standards on someone else's behavior. The fact is you can't control anyone but yourself, so creating standards, as opposed to expectations, keeps the ball in your court.

Tell your kids they are perfect the way they are, but they shouldn't stay where they are forever because growing, testing the limits, and evolving make life better and more fulfilling.

Your life shouldn't be anything short of spectacular.

You can tell your kids they are perfect and don't need to change - which could cause insecurity when they recognize their own shortcomings - or tell them they are terrible, which would undermine their sense of self-worth and confidence. There's a happy middle ground.

While fad diets might seem like the quick-fix solution to lose weight, they won't help you get healthy in the long run.