Mostly Serious · Entirely Sincere

APPROVEDBY DAD

Twenty Rules for Making Good Decisions
from a father to his daughter

FROM A FATHER FOR HIS DAUGHTER

$6.99 paperback · $4.99 Kindle · on Amazon

Where to Find It

The Book, and What Goes With It

The Paperback

The full book, 5.5 by 8.5 inches, with an inscription page for her name. The version you can wrap.

Buy on Amazon · $6.99

The Kindle Edition

The same twenty rules, readable on any phone, tablet, or Kindle. Arrives instantly.

Buy on Amazon · $4.99

The Cheat Sheet Poster

All twenty rules on one page, sized for an 18 by 24 frame. For a dorm wall or a first apartment.

Buy on Etsy · $6

Printable Wall Art

Six of the lines as framed prints, in three sizes. Instant download, print at home or at any print shop.

Buy on Etsy · $12

Why This Exists

My daughter is leaving for college, four thousand miles away. I won't be able to walk her to her car or double check the lock on her door.

Every father has a list. The car check. The handshake. The "call me, no matter what, no matter when." It usually gets delivered in pieces, in the driveway, over the phone, at 1am when she didn't pick up on the second ring.

So I put all of it in one place instead, and wrote it down before she goes.

Joshua Bleechington

What's Inside

The Twenty Rules

  1. 01Read the RoomKnow your exits. Trust your gut.
  2. 02Check Your CarWalk around it. Check the back seat.
  3. 03Carry SomethingKeep it reachable. Know the law.
  4. 04The HandshakeFirm grip, eye contact, clear name.
  5. 05Cut the "Um"Pause instead of filling silence.
  6. 06The Nod, Not the StareAcknowledge. Don't escalate.
  7. 07Leave Put-TogetherTen seconds at the mirror.
  8. 08Big Things Deserve a CallNever text what matters.
  9. 09Clear Your PlaceQuick walk-through, every time.
  10. 10Sip, Don't ChugPace it. Watch it. Never leave it.
  11. 11Ebb and FlowListen more than you talk.
  12. 12Keep Your Space CleanBathroom and desk especially.
  13. 13Home by 11:30Unless it really matters.
  14. 14Send the PinShare your location. No explanation.
  15. 15Keep a BufferNever below a quarter tank.
  16. 16The Fake CallA graceful exit, always available.
  17. 17Hide $40Separate from your wallet.
  18. 18"No" Is a SentenceYou never owe an essay.
  19. 19Tell a Friend Your PlanSomeone always knows where you are.
  20. 20Call Dad. Always.No matter what, no matter when.

Rule Twenty

"There is nothing you could ever tell me that would make me stop answering the phone."

Nineteen rules about being careful. One rule that overrides all of them.

20
Rules

Awareness, safety, etiquette, and the habits that stick.

2
Minutes Each

What to do, why it matters, and a line to remember it by.

1
Inscription Page

So it arrives as a gift, not a lecture.

For the Daughter Leaving Home

And the dad who can't go with her.

Get the Paperback Get the Kindle Edition