This article is for parents raising kids. I hope it gives you something to think about as you help prepare them for adulthood.

And if there are any kids reading this, I hope it gives you a little hope and direction.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to start writing this one. It made perfect sense in my head, but finding the right words wasn’t easy — so here goes.

When I was growing up, I was never worried about being the cool kid.

I played sports, and I loved competing, but when I left the field, I didn’t want every conversation to be about baseball. I enjoyed doing other things too.

One lesson my parents taught me has stuck with me ever since. If you have to tell people how good you are, you probably aren’t that good.

That lesson has served me well in sports, in my career, and in life.

Another thing that wasn’t always easy was choosing not to do what everyone else was doing.

I stayed away from drinking and making choices I knew weren’t right. At times, that made me feel like an outsider. It seemed like everyone around me was doing those things, and because I wasn’t, I never had a huge circle of friends in high school.

Looking back now, I’m thankful for that.

Instead, I stayed close with my childhood friends and my girlfriend, who is now my wife. They cared about making good decisions too, and those are the relationships that have lasted. Those friendships were built on trust, shared values, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company, not just finding something to do on a Friday night.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized something. Doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest choice. It usually isn’t the most popular choice either. But it is almost always the choice that prepares you for the future.

The habits you build as a teenager become the habits you carry into adulthood. The friends you surround yourself with influence the person you become.

Don’t be afraid to be different. The right friends will find you.

And if you’re a parent, keep encouraging your kids to do the right thing, even when it isn’t the easy thing.

I also want to challenge parents with one more thought.

When I was growing up, there were plenty of parents who knew exactly what their kids were doing. Some chose to look the other way. Others figured, “Kids will be kids.”

I don’t think that’s enough.

Be involved. Know who your kids are with. Know where they are. Check in on them. Hold your kids to a standard.

Looking back now, I’m thankful my parents did. Holding me to a high standard didn’t make me resent them. It made me respect them. It also made me never want to let them down.

I didn’t make good decisions because I was afraid of being punished. I made good decisions because I didn’t want to disappoint my parents.

Over time, their standards became my standards. I wanted to live up to them because I knew they expected the best from me.

There is one more thing my parents gave me that I hope Beau always has.

No matter what happened, I knew I could go to them. If I messed up, I wasn’t afraid to tell them. I didn’t feel like I had to hide it or cover it up. I went to them because I knew they would help me figure out how to make it right.

Set high standards. Hold your kids accountable. But never make them afraid to come to you.

Make it cool to do the right thing and be a lifegiver to people around you.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” — Ephesians 6:4