Lessons I hope to teach my kids before I die..in random order...

A lot has happened this past year that has caused me to look back at my life and wonder what kind of legacy I would leave for my kids if I were to die today. Now I don't plan on doing that anytime soon. But there are some important things I have learned in my life and I hope I have time to teach them to my kids... some religious, some just basic decent human skills. So I have decided to share them here, in hopes of keeping track of them and being able to put my thoughts on paper. Hopefully one day my kids will appreciate all of this.
Lesson #1 Empathy
Probably one of the greatest and hardest lessons I learned from my mom is to always look at the other persons point of view. I think people get empathy and sympathy mixed up. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone, for what they are going through. Empathy, basically, is being able to look at a situation from the other persons point of view. To be able to see a situation as someone else sees it is very hard to do, but my mother constantly tried to get us to do this as we were growing up. It's very hard to be mad at someone when you can see things from their perspective. But I have noticed as I do this I am less likely to judge them and more likely to love them. Now don't get me wrong, sometimes I don't want to see things from their point of view. Sometimes I want to be mad. But this has been ingrained in me so much it's hard for me to not have empathy for others.
Why do I think this is important? Well, it ties in with another lesson....
Lesson #2 Forgivness
When you can see something from someone else's perspective, it is easier to forgive them. One thing I have realized is that forgiveness is not for the person that has hurt or offended me, it is for me. I am a better person when I am able to forgive someone, whether they ask for it or not. I hate being mad at someone or having ill feelings towards others, I feel like it is a poison inside of me and why would you want a poison inside of you? I look at others in my life who refuse to forgive others and they are very sad and bitter people who constantly blame others for where they are in life. I don't want to be like that. I want to be the kind of person who has control of my own life, regardless of the choices that other people make. I just simply refuse to be the kind of person that let other peoples actions dictate the person I am. And I want my children to be the same way.

Children

I have found that the older my children get, my relationship with the Lord has changed. When they were small, I know I have spent countless hours on my knees, praying for guidance in how to raise them. Most of my prayers were centered on me, on me learning what I need to, to be able to teach them how to be good people when they grow up, for me to have patience, for me to be more kind, more loving. Now, I find myself spending countless hours on my knees praying for guidance for them. As they grow older and start making their own decisions, I know I can't force them to do what I do, believe what I believe. So I plead with the Lord that He will stay a constant influence in their lives, that He will help them remember what they have been taught. The hardest thing I have experienced as a parent is watching my children make their own decisions and then have to suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And I know the only thing I can do is pray, set a good example for them, and love them unconditionally as I know the Savior loves each of us. Even though He may not like the decisions we make, especially ones that take us away from Him, He still loves each of us. His arm is still stretched out to us. His grace and mercy is still extended to us if we will just take it. This is my prayer for my kids, that they will realize this also and choose to stay in His loving presence.