Some parents complain about how their children don’t talk to them. They refuse to connect with parents on social media, or even have them blocked. Some parents declare that they would not allow such behavior, since they pay for the phone, internet, etc. Personally, I can’t really relate to these comments. Honestly, it’s possible that my kids may be blocking […]
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a glass-half-full person. (My mom has referred to me – affectionately – as a “Pollyanna” on more than one occasion.) The way I see it, the teen years move at a frenetic pace. We always seem to be looking at the next event, the next deadline. Before we know it, we […]
The teen years are when we most often hear about what everyone else’s parents do. Everyone else’s parents let them stay out until 2 am. Everyone else’s parents are letting them spend an unsupervised weekend at the shore. Everyone else’s parents let them do whatever they want! Guess what? Everyone else’s parents are hearing the same thing. Is your teen […]
Less than three years into her first post-college full time job, my oldest child bought a house. There was no trust fund, lavish gifts, lottery win or other windfall. She did this fully on her own, with an average salary, through good money management. As a result, several people have asked for my secret: How did I teach these skills? […]
Being a mom taught me that when you love someone, simply observing and acknowledging their passions can be as meaningful (or even more so), than doing these things yourself. You don’t need to share that passion to take joy from the activity. My four children are four very different individuals, and though they do share some interests, each has specific […]
We work hard all year and look forward to taking time off. We may have vision boards with sandy beaches or mountain retreats, with families sitting around fire pits or playing games around a large table. We count down the days to cozy family time, where everyone is smiling through long hikes, enjoying new foods and settling into strange beds […]
How many days until summer break? If you’re a kid, teacher or parent, you probably know without checking. While it’s nice to think about days of freedom from alarm clocks and schedules, many parents may also be struggling with worry and dread. Yes, it will be nice to have a less intense schedule, but the lack of structure can be […]
The years tend to sneak up. One day you bring a newborn home, and then you blink and have a sassy school age child. Another blink and you have a small adult in front of you. Of course children grow and become more independent all this time, but it happens gradually, in small ways that you tend to not notice. […]
I am at a point in my life where being a cheerleader is a primary parenting role. Now this may conjure up some pretty funny images (I abandoned the appropriate age and body type in the 80s), but nonetheless, it is an apt description. There is little hands-on parenting for me to do on a day-to-day basis; for the most […]
When I became a parent of college grads, I was somewhat surprised to realize that I shed more tears at the high school ceremonies than the college ones. Somehow this didn’t make sense. This may be in part because there were several of “my kids” graduating from high school – my own children, their friends, and those who I watched […]
