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 […]
News Flash: Gifted Kids Are Not Always Valedictorians
From an early age, our son was inquisitive, precocious and speaking full sentences by the time he was two. When I was out in public with him, older women would always comment on his verbal ability. And they’d all say the same thing, “Oh, he must be gifted. He’s going to go to Harvard, I […]
When Should Teens Get a Part-Time Job? Hubby and I Disagree
I can distinctly remember my first job interview. I was fresh out of high school and was hoping to make extra money during the summer to pay for college. I scheduled an interview at a local temp agency and was hired for a part-time job doing secretarial work in offices in my area. On my […]
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My son’s interest in toy cars has gradually been replaced by an interest in a car of his own and he eagerly awaited the day he could finally get his driver’s permit.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 […]
I Graduated from Marvel University…with Honors
I was nine years old when Return of the Jedi hit the theaters. I remember sitting in a darkened movie theater on a hot summer day with a bucket of popcorn on my lap. As I watched the X-wing starfighters fly across the screen, I distinctly remember thinking that science fiction movies weren’t my thing. The Ewoks […]
This Viral Hearing Experiment Proves Teens Can Actually Hear You
Once again, a heated Internet debate is flaring, only this time, it’s pitting kids and teens against parents. And it’s glorious, trust me. Spoiler alert: a hearing experiment that has taken the internet by storm proves teens have been ignoring you since forever. Yes, really. The people of the Internet love a good debate, particularly […]
Don’t Hate Me: My Teens Are Best Friends (Yes, Really)
I hear the slider door of our beach house squeak and the sound of footsteps as they amble down the wooden deck stairs. I can hear them before I see them: my teens are headed out on their summer evening ritual. Every night, shortly after dinner, they grab an ice cream from our beach house […]
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 […]
Musings on a Pandemic and Where The Hell I’ve Been for 6 Months
Welp, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve graced this site with new content. Six whole months, in fact. <throws side eye to the global pandemic> Back in December 2019, I had big plans to hit the ground running in 2020. I was going to write all the blogs! I was going to say all […]
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. […]
A Break Up Letter To The Elf On The Shelf: We Are So Over
Dear Herbie the Elf, I feel as though it’s time we had a talk. I’ve been very unhappy for a very long time and I bet that if you were honest with yourself, you’d admit that you have known for a while that things were not right between us. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that […]
Dear Publix: Thanks For Making College Parents Ugly Cry At The Holidays
The holidays are upon us and many of us are waiting anxiously for our college kids to barge in the front door yelling, “I’m home!” And, for those of us who sent our first kids off to college this fall, it can feel like an eternity as we count down the days to having all […]
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 […]
Beyond Flowers And Food: There’s Only So Much Lasagna You Can Eat In A Crisis
On the day my father died, I drove to work on that crisp October morning with my mind fixated on the pumpkin spice coffee I was going to treat myself to on the way. “Maybe a muffin, too,” I thought. Why not? I bustled into the office where I was subbing as a school nurse […]
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