33 Life Lessons I Pray My Children Never Forget
— A Story Told in Warm Light, Shadow, and Hard-Earned Wisdom —
By A.L. Childers
There are evenings — quiet, gold-edged, and still — when the world finally unclenches its jaw, and a mother can hear herself think. It is in these hours, between the settling of the house and the rising of the moon, when I often find myself holding an old lantern.
Not a real one.
But the kind you feel in your chest — the kind passed down from mothers who survived harder winters, deeper heartaches, and homes with thinner walls than mine. It’s a lantern made of memory: warm glass, iron frame, a flicker of the Divine inside.
I imagine myself walking ahead of my children on the winding road of life, lantern held high so they might see where the world grows crooked… and where it grows holy.
Tonight, I write to place that lantern in their hands.
And yours.
Because one day they will walk without me — and the world, with all its thunder and sweetness, will demand that they remember who they are.
So here are the lessons I pray they carry, like warm light in cold fog.
✨ The 33 Lessons Lit by a Mother’s Lantern
1. Never shrink to fit inside someone else’s comfort.
The world grows small when you do.
2. Character is your true name.
Reputation is only the echo.
3. Think for yourself.
The crowd is usually loud… and usually wrong.
4. Question everything, even the things you want to believe.
5. Hold a clean conscience.
Integrity is a lantern that never lies to you.
6. You are valuable—act like it.
Walk away when staying becomes self-betrayal.
7. Respect the body that carries your soul.
8. You are enough.
There has never been another you, nor will there ever be.
9. If you can’t pay cash, you can’t afford it.
Debt is modern slavery.
10. Don’t chase joy in bottles, beds, or borrowed identities.
11. Life is short.
Make something of it that echoes.
12. Believe in impossible things — they’re the only ones that matter.
13. Dream boldly, then work quietly.
14. Kindness is never wasted.
15. You will fall.
Get up with your soul intact.
16. Forward is the only direction worth fighting for.
17. The world owes you nothing.
But you owe yourself everything.
18. Life is an adventure — step into it with courage.
19. Gratitude unlocks doors you didn’t know were locked.
20. Do not follow the herd — they wander off cliffs.
21. Guard your joy like a homeland.
22. Time is your most precious currency.
Don’t spend it like loose change.
23. Don’t “go with the flow.”
Be the river.
24. Listen more than you speak.
Wisdom hides in silence.
25. Tend gently to others.
Everyone carries private wars.
26. Speak to yourself like you would to someone you love.
27. When you marry, you marry the family too.
28. Treat every day as the fragile gift that it is.
29. Not everyone will like you.
Be grateful. It’s a filter.
30. Be humble. Be kind. Be steady.
31. Take no nonsense from anyone — especially bullies in grown-up bodies.
32. Guard your private life.
Mystery is a form of power.
33. Family troubles are to be mended at home, not displayed to wolves.
🌙 Closing the Lantern
And so, in my final whisper of the night, here is the truth I want them — and you — to remember:
Do good anyway.
Give anyway.
Rise anyway.
Because it was never between you and them.
It was always between you and God.
If my children remember even one of these lessons, then this mother’s lantern will have done its work.
And if you needed this too, then perhaps — in some small, tender way — the lantern has been passed to you.
🌿 About the Author — A.L. Childers
A.L. Childers is a bestselling author, blogger, and creator of TheHypothyroidismChick.com. A Southern-born storyteller with a lantern’s worth of lived wisdom, she writes about women’s health, neurodivergent motherhood, ancient remedies, magic, survival, and the quiet courage it takes to rebuild yourself.
Her works span genres — from health and wellness guides to ancestral magic cookbooks, to powerful memoir-style essays that help women reclaim their voice.
She is the author of:
✨ Witchy & Ancestral Magic Books
- The Witch’s Almanac Cookbook (2026 Edition)
- Healing Stews & Enchanted Brews (Crockpot Edition)
- Healing Stews & Enchanted Brews: Holiday Magic
- My Grandmother’s Witchy Medicine Cabinet
- Colors of the Coven
- Whispers of the Familiar
- Enchanting Reflections
- The Beginner Witch’s Guide to Practical Witchcraft
- The Heart of the Shamanic Witch Journal
✨ Health, Hormones & Healing Books
- Reset Your Thyroid
- A Survivor’s Cookbook Guide to Kicking Hypothyroidism’s Booty
- Hypothyroidism Beginner’s Guide
- The Ultimate Guide to Healing Hypothyroidism
Her mission:
To help women heal — body, spirit, and lineage.
Find her at:
📌 TheHypothyroidismChick.com
📌 TikTok: @breakthematrixaudrey
📌 Instagram: @ThyroidismChick
⚠️ Disclaimer
This blog is for entertainment, inspiration, and educational purposes only.
It is not medical, financial, legal, or professional advice.
Always consult a licensed professional before making changes to your health, supplements, lifestyle, or medical treatment. The author assumes no responsibility for actions taken based on the information herein.
Knowledge is power — but wisdom is what you do with it.
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