This intro is 100% bullsh!t.I have found that one of the greatest rewards of raising a family can be the dinners we have together....and through all of the events of the last year, there certainly has been a lot of those.As our kids have grown into young adults, the topics we tend to discuss have also gotten a bit more animated, spirited, insightful and colorful. These dinners can be a source of great introspection and growth.So this week, we talked about bullsh*t.I don't quite remember how we started on this topic, but I somehow found it to be a teachable moment. Rising to the occasion, I commanded everyone's attention and asked the table:"So kids, what is your definition of bullsh*t?"As our youngest, who is 10 (c'mon, when you are the fourth kid and your family nickname is "Fartbox" is this topic really out of bounds?) stared at me not sure if he should laugh, go to his room or seriously answer, I allowed the question to dramatically hang in the air.... "Wow, this must be exactly how Socrates or Aristotle felt as they challenged the fertile minds of their own students," I triumphantly thought to myself. Then the questions started. What was the context? Were we talking about it as a noun, a verb or in a literal sense? Was the construction of a slide deck or visual aids going to be involved?Since I had not really thought through my provocation before I presented it, I settled on seeking what it meant in the context of being an element of a social setting, like work or school or even in a family, where you regularly have to interact with others.When you have any group of people doing things together at the same time, there usually is some brand of bullsh!t present. But how do you define it?After some debate, our family resolved that bullsh^t (not to be confused with horsesh*t) is the annoying, unnecessary stuff that we feel forced to deal with in order to just get through the day.Bullsh*t, both clinically and figuratively, comes from a**holes. Sometimes those a-holes are friends, family, co-workers or people we just don't like. Sometimes we are the a-holes that create the BS for ourselves and others.Doesn't matter if it is "total," "utter," "such," or even the worst kind, "f-ing", everyone agrees bullsh*t stinks and you don't want it to get on you. As I guided our family on this journey of discovery, one thing became clear: bullsh*t really only affects you to the extent you allow yourself to "feel forced to deal with" it. While you might not be able to control the size, volume, frequency or origin of the bullsh*t, you can absolutely choose how you let it impact you.Here's the thing: whether you are walking in a pasture or navigating your day at work or school, isn't it always best to choose to just avoid the bullsh*t? Steer clear. Don't go near it. Hold your nose, walk around it and keep going. Become impervious to it. If necessary maybe alert others about it so they don't step in it, but don't dwell on it. Remind yourself that sh^t happens -- you can't stop it.Equally as important as avoiding the bullsh!t, you don't want to be the a^^hole that creates the bullsh*t for others. If people start acting differently around you or avoiding you, most likely it's because you created some bullsh^t. Create too much bullsh!t for people? You will soon be sh^t out of luck.The bullsh^t discussion at the dinner table went on for maybe an hour. After we finished, as everyone was going about their evening activities, I saw our 10 year old off on his own drawing something.It was simply the letters BS with an X through them. "Dad, I heard what you said and made a sign for my door. From now on, my room is a BS Free Zone." It's the little things.....Some good stuff in the links below -- no BS. I think you'll like them, so check them out. And if you happen to have HBO, I highly recommend checking out the documentary "Fake Famous" -- takes a look at how social media influencers really make themselves famous. Eye opening....And total BS....Super Bowl Prediction: after a slow start, TB wins 38-30. XOXODave