Leave Them Better Than We Found Them
Every Adult Leaves a Mark. The Question Is What Kind.
There’s a rule my parents drilled into me early: Return things better than you found them.
It applied to bikes borrowed from a neighbor. A friend’s house after a sleepover. Even the towel in the guest bathroom.
It wasn’t just about tidiness. It was about respecting what wasn’t ours. And acknowledging the impact we have, even when no one’s watching.
But somewhere along the way, we stopped applying that rule. Not just with things, but with people. Especially with kids.
Not just our own kids. Everyone’s kids. The ones bagging our groceries. Taking our coffee order. Sitting in our classroom. Walking past us on the sidewalk.
Too many adults today treat kids like background noise—or worse, like they’re a nuisance. Disposable. Unworthy of basic respect.
And that kind of disregard doesn’t stay small. It spreads. It shows up in the culture we’re building and the people we’re raising.
Let’s start with the woman who sits behind the front office window at my daughters’ high school.
We’ll call her Janet.
For three years, Janet gave my kids a master class in how not to treat young people.