13．Dear John，
You're only three years old，and at this point in your life you can't read，much less understanding what I'll tell you in this letter．But I've thought a lot about the life that you have ahead of you，and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the difficulties that you'll face．
I hope to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I've learned．As with any advice，take it with a grain of salt．What works for me might not work for you．
Life can be unkind
There will be people in your life who won't be very nice．They'll laugh at you or try to hurt you because you're different．There's not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them，and learn to choose friends who are kind to you and who make you feel good about yourself．When you find friends like this，treasure them，spend time with them and love them．
Be open to life anyway
Yes，you'll face something that you don't know in your life，but don't move back from life，don't hide or wall yourself off．Be open to new things，new experiences，new people．
Life isn't a competition
You will meet many people who won't fall behind you，in school，in college，at work．To them，life is a competition．But here's the secret：life isn't a competition．It's a journey．Learn to enjoy the journey and make it a journey of happiness and success．
Love should be your rule
If there's a word you should live your life by，it should be this：love．It might sound out of date，I know，but trust me，there's no better rule in life．Love your loved ones，and your classmates，your co-workers，strangers，even those bad men．The person who is hardest on you，unkind to you…，love him．He is most in need of your love．And most of all，love yourself and learn to love yourself for who you are．
Finally，know that I love you and always will．You are starting out on an unknown，tiring，scary，but really wonderful journey，and always remember I will be there for you when I can．
Love
Your DadA father's （56）letter to his child
| Meanings of life | Reasons | （57）Advice |
| Life can be unkind | You may meet some （58）unkind/unfriendly people in your life | •Learn to deal with them．
•Choose the right people as your （59）friends |
| Be open to life anyway | There will be something （60）unkown in your life． | •Don't move back from life．
•Don't hide or wall yourself off．
•Don't （61）refusenew things，new experiences，new people． |
| Life isn't a competition | You will meet many people who will try to do （62）better than you． | •Learn to enjoy the journey
•Make the journey a happy and（63）successfulone． |
| Love should be your rule | It's the （64）best rule in life． | •Love （65）everyone/everybody around you．
•Love yourself |
