Charles J. Sykes offers life lessons that are not included in the curriculum for most children today: honest advice about what they will encounter in the “real world” post-schooling and how their parents can help them best prepare—not with cushy self-esteem talks, but rather with honest challenges. His 50 lessons are frank, sometimes harsh, and often hilarious, including:
 #1 Life is not fair. Get used to it.

#43 Don’t let the success of other depress you.
#48 Tell yourself the story of your life. Have a point.
 Sykes elaborates on each of his points, creating a wise, no-nonsense guide for parents to help their children help themselves.