The summer I sent my last child off to college seemed to go faster than most. Before we knew it, we were getting ready to send one, then another child off to their respective schools. A week in between move-in days made it possible to focus on each of them, one at a time, but made for a very busy […]
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 we first started the college search with our oldest, study abroad was one of her requirements, and was almost as important to her as her choice of major. We were supportive of this interest, believing that travel only adds value to life. We were concerned about the additional costs it would incur, but left the possibility on the table. […]
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 […]
Loving HARD When They’re Hard to Love, Essays on Raising Teens in Today’s Complex, Chaotic World by Whitney Fleming, is not a parenting book in the traditional sense but rather the story of becoming a parent and how that role changes and grows, just as a child does from infancy through teenager. The book is separated into three sections. Section […]
Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World, by Jenn Granneman & Andre Solo, takes a positive look at what is too often deemed a negative trait: being a sensitive person. Using science and data to back up their assertions, the people behind the online communities Sensitive Refuge and Introvert, Dear, convincingly advance […]
WISE DECISIONS: A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Decisions by Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson is a useful guide to understanding the science behind our decision-making and, more importantly, how to use this knowledge to make even better decisions. This book makes you stop and think. It’s obvious, but have you considered that beliefs are merely opinions? And […]
Each February, after we get over the excitement of a weather-predicting rodent, the world becomes full of pink and red hearts and silly bow-and-arrow-carrying cherubs. It is natural around this time to think about ways to let our loved ones know how we feel. Though teenagers sometimes act as though they don’t want to give or receive love, they do. […]
If you have (or will soon have) teenagers in your house, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, by Lisa Damour, PhD. is an essential resource for your home library. Those of us who have parented (or remember being) a teen know that teen emotions can be intense and often change rapidly. In an easy-to-understand manner, […]
There is a video making the rounds now of a mom “pushing her child out of the nest.” Upon arrival at the doctor’s office, she informs her child that she will not be going in with them, that being 18 means you handle this alone. While I agree that a parent shouldn’t be accompanying an 18-year-old to a doctor’s visit, […]
