Old School: Wisdom From Grandma & Grandpa

Common sense, hard-won lessons and the way our grandparents did it, from the people who lived it. Still works.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Phone-free dinners start with the phone in your own pocket

Most no-phones-at-the-table rules die by Wednesday, and the kids aren't usually the ones who kill them. How to start it so it sticks.

GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20266 min

Build your car kit for the ninety-minute wait, not the photo

Most roadside kits are packed for the picture on the box. This one's packed for a dead battery, a flat tire, and a long, cold wait for the tow truck.

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Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideBoys & GirlsSam OrtizOct 1, 20266 min

Stop Planning Outdoor Time and Make It the Default

Kids don't need another park trip. They need a back door that opens every afternoon and a parent who won't cave when the whining starts.

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Moms6 min read

Start the Teen Screen Reset With Your Own Phone

The fight over your teenager's phone usually isn't about the phone. Change who goes first and most of the war never starts.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20266 min

The dashboard lights that mean stop the car now

Red, amber and green aren't decoration. Learn which lights give you a week and which give you thirty seconds.

GuideBoys & GirlsCal BrennanOct 1, 20267 min

Your kid's bored. Good. Now don't fix it.

The whining is the toll. The fort, the comic or the backyard invention shows up about twenty minutes later, if you don't step in first.

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GuideDadsSam OrtizOct 1, 20266 min

Your kids can't tell work email from scrolling

To a seven-year-old, every look at your phone is the same look. Change what they see, and the house rules start to stick.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20266 min

The tire pressure light is a late warning

By the time that little horseshoe lights up, a tire's already 25 percent low. A gauge, a quarter and two minutes a month get you ahead of it.

GuideCommunitySam OrtizOct 1, 20267 min

The Block Party Host's Real Job Is Handing Out Jobs

The host who does everything throws one party. The host who hands out the work starts a tradition the whole street keeps.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideDadsSam OrtizOct 1, 20266 min

Let your teenager write the first draft of the phone rules

The family tech agreement that survives past October is the one your kid wrote half of, with one clause in it about you.

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GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20266 min

Red on dead, and the black clamp nobody gets right

Four clamps, one order, and the last connection that keeps a jump-start from becoming a spark next to a battery. Learn it once.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideBoys & GirlsSam OrtizOct 1, 20266 min

The Free Birthday Traditions Your Kid Will Remember at Thirty

The party fades by Tuesday. The pencil line on the doorframe doesn't. Pick a few rituals that cost nothing, and never skip them.

GuideBRO SeniorsMarcus ValeOct 1, 20266 min

Your life story, two minutes and one question at a time

Forget the grand family documentary. A phone, a window and one small question a week will leave your grandchildren something they'll treasure.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20267 min

Check your own oil, then change it once yourself

Five minutes with a dipstick catches problems a mileage sticker never will. One oil change in your driveway ends the upsell for good.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Moms6 min

Write Down Exactly What They Said, the Same Night

BRO Seniors7 min

Grandparent camp works better with a job than a schedule

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanOct 3, 20266 min

Change your first flat in the driveway, not on the shoulder

The jack is easy. The lug nuts are the hard part, and they give way to leverage, not muscle. A step-by-step you can practice this Saturday.

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Dads6 min read

Write your kid a letter every birthday, and seal it

One page a year, sealed in a box, handed over the week they move out. It takes eight hours across two decades and outlasts nearly everything you buy them.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

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