Paul Graham

Instead of pushing my kids, I try to help them find the interests that will pull them. History suggests pull has more power.

Was explaining to my 7 yo the dumb things teenagers do, and realized most are caused by caring too much what their friends think.

One of the most dangerous things to lose as you get older is your willingness to look like a fool.

Something I recently taught my kids: Like other animals, people are most dangerous when they feel threatened.

Don't mock anything done in earnest just because it seems weird.

New game with 5 yo: Make an animal noise, then describe the imaginary animal that makes it.

Something I taught my kids last night: Everyone has something they're unusually good at. When you meet someone try to figure out what it is.

One of my tricks is to treat them like adults intellectually. It's remarkable how often it works. Adults talk down to kids way more than they need to or even realize.

A simple rule I taught my 9 yo today: If you can't figure something out, figure out how to figure it out.

Whenever I teach little kids something, I'm always trying harder to teach the meta-lessons, like breaking down a problem into smaller parts, or that practice makes you better.