Leave more than a will

THINGS TO PASS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN

(Men's Health)


A lucky number. Long before Jordan sanctified it, number 23 was lucky just because Dad said it was. He'd look for it everywhere. Forty years later, his grandchildren fill the lane on the break wearing the number he decided was theirs. Memories accrete around specific things.
About $3,000. An inheritance cuts your kids' ambition in half, robs them of the satisfaction of making their own way, and keeps them from lessons worth learning. So you spend it. And leave them just a little.
A team to love. It's a durable pleasure, best passed from father to child.
A will. And prearrange a really, really, really inexpensive funeral, too. Rule: Money is best spent on people who are alive.
A dented wheelbarrow. Associate yourself with stupid donkey work, as in moving this stuff that's here, over there.
A fragment of inspiring verse. Memorized, so they'll always have it when they need it.
Stories of your screwups. In the interest of less pedestal, more human, be sure they've heard tell of your greatest misses.
Enthusiasm for two movies: one stupid, one stirring. Say, Caddyshack and Braveheart.
A tattered road map. An old-fashioned, service-station map of a region you've traveled a lot with the family. It should have a few words scribbled on it, a couple of routes highlighted in yellow. Some of the crease lines should be torn from wear.
A baseless prejudice in favor of a particular make of car. Everybody knows that [fill in name of car manufacturer here] makes the best cars on the road. Period. End of story.
A family catchphrase. A brief yelp that captures your take on life and can invoke your spirit long after you're dead.
U.S. savings bonds. They seem the very symbol of hope.

Jeff Martin bought a time capsule for his daughters. Find out more information.

Or you can always make your own.