A few years after our daughter was born, my husband and I made what felt like a momentous and adult decision. We decided to have a lawyer draw up our last will and testament. We were knee deep in caring for two toddlers, sleepless and exhausted. But it was important to us that we outline […]
My Son Has Become A Fashionista And I Am Unable To Even
My son has become a fashionista and I am unable to even. A few years ago, I found myself standing in the boys’ department of Kohl’s with my then 14-year-old son. We were shopping for a homecoming outfit for the upcoming dance. Or, excuse me, HoCo clothing. (Because the cool kids say “HoCo.” Obvi.) We […]
Can We All Agree That Teen Boys Suck At Hair Care?
Before I even met my son, I knew he had a full head of jet-black hair. As the surgeon delivered him, my husband peeked over the surgical drapes and exclaimed, “Oh my god, he has so much hair!” And, indeed he did. My newborn son had as much hair as some toddlers. As he grew, […]
Quarantine Changed What I’d Tell My Teens About Picking A Partner
Many years ago, as I helped my toddler daughter out of the tub, my partner came into the bathroom and started acting goofy. As was our custom during the chaotic witching hour of bath and bedtime, we often played music and acted silly with our two children. As my 4-year-old son brushed his teeth while […]
To the New Mom At The Next Table: I See You But I’m Not Looking
I wrote this post on Facebook a few weeks ago and I was surprised by the outpouring of emotion that parents of teens felt when they read my words. On the night I wrote these words, my heart was aching in the best and worst possible way: Fruit Loop #1 had finally decided where he […]
Parents of High School Juniors, I Feel Your Angst
I had been warned this time was coming, but I resisted. Parents of high school juniors used to look at my toddlers and tell me I would miss the days when I could contain them in a crib at night. Parents of teens would stop me in the grocery store to comment how much they […]
Our Teen Is Driving And So Are His Friends: What The Hell?
Judging from the way my son’s face was beaming, I knew the news before he even got the words out of his mouth: his best friend had passed his driving test. Not only was his best friend now a fully licensed driver, but he had also texted my son to ask just how soon they […]
My Teen Spent the Summer Working A Manual Labor Job
As I entered the job site, I could hear my 16-year-old son before I could see him. The sounds of a radio blaring in an empty room upstairs, combined with the rhythmic thump of a hammer, led me to where he was demolishing a built-in cabinet. He was sweaty, his face covered in dirt and […]
The Day My Son Got His Driver’s Permit –and an Unexpected Gift
My son’s interest in toy cars has gradually been replaced by an interest in a car of his own and he eagerly awaited the day he could finally get his driver’s permit. When he was a toddler, he was obsessed with trains and cars. Practically every picture I have of him during those years includes […]
The Sweet Valley High Books Made Middle School Easier For Me
BONUS CONTENT: Would you like to read a chapter of the Sweet Valley that never made it to print? Spoiler alert: I make a cameo! Yes, really! When I was in fifth grade, my family moved from the Northeast to Texas. I was a fish out of water in my new town, and I struggled […]
5 Things I’d Forgotten About Being A Teenage Girl
When I was a teenager, I distinctly remember spending an entire afternoon organizing my makeup into a Caboodles case. I spent hours arranging my Cover Girl foundation, blue and green eye shadow palettes, and hot pink blush kits in my carryall. I’m not sure why I thought I was going to need to haul every […]
It Takes A Village To Raise Teens and I’m Grateful For Mine
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to wade through this motherhood thing with some pretty amazing friends in my parenting village. In the early years, the moms who commiserated with me over potty training battles and nap time dramas were my life line. As my kids hit the halls of elementary school, I was grateful […]
My Teen Had a Difficult Teacher and He Survived. Yours Will, Too.
Over the years, my kids have experienced a variety of teaching styles in the classroom. And, though most of their teachers have been awesome, my son has had two teachers that made life more challenging for all of us—and learning how to deal with difficult teachers taught us a lesson in resiliency. My son walked into […]
My Son’s Senior Year Feels Like Time Is Running Out
I hear the mudroom door slam and the sound of my son yelling, “I’m home, Mah. What’s for dinner?” floats up the stairs to my office. I find him, rummaging in the refrigerator, ravenous after a full day of working on a house renovation for a local realtor. His job this summer has kept him […]
Everyone Needs To Be Rescued: My Skiing Adventure From Hell
Seven years ago, I strapped on a set of ski boots and skis and immediately fell down a ski mountain. For real. Did I mention I suck at skiing? A little back information: though I grew up in the Northeast, my experience with skiing was limited to a few attempts in high school and college. […]
Grandparents Are The Real MVPs When It Comes To Raising Teens
When my husband and I were planning our wedding, our videographer asked us for pictures of us as kids for an opening montage he was planning. As my future mother in law and I combed through photo albums, it seemed every picture of my husband made her sigh even louder. As she reminisced, she told […]
I Didn’t Expect My Son’s Sixteenth Birthday To Hit Me So Hard
As the waitress slipped the huge piece of chocolate cake across the table, the candle that she’d added illuminated my son’s teenaged face. With a big smile, he listened as we sang “Happy Birthday” to him and he eagerly tucked into the cake when we were finished. He joked that he’d probably need to order […]
27 Reasons Prom Was Epic And Awesome In the 90s
Recently, I saw a friend’s post about how her son asked his girlfriend to prom and, I’m not going to lie: my husband didn’t go through nearly as much trouble when he asked me to marry him 25 years ago. Gone are the days when you stood by your locker and hoped that the cute […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 6
- Next Page »