Once a year – that’s just one night every 365 days – I have a non-negotiable, overnight outing in another state. My students take a two-day trip to Wisconsin, and I have chaperoned it for over twenty years. When my daughters were little, being gone for 36 hours was kind of a big deal. Now that they are older,…
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Parenting Teens: It Should Be Easy, Right? Confession: I thought I rocked at parenting. I handled the terrible twos and fearsome threes, conquered toilet-training, and trekked to the library and countless kids’ museums. I helped my daughters find their passion through sports, theater, martial arts, and vacation Bible school. I listened, cuddled, and disciplined with fairness and grace. I…
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Summer is here and school is out! Kids are at a time when they are excited to take a much-needed break from school, catch up on sleep, and most likely spend they will spend it chilling out by plugging in and playing video games, scrolling social media and watching YouTube and Netflix all day long. This can drive us…
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Once summer hits, our kids are worn out from the school year’s structure and academic loads they carried and they just want to rest, refuel, and recover. These days, that often looks like your kid playing hours of Fortnite or vegging on the couch binge-watching a Netflix series while scrolling through their social media feeds on their phones. …
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Our sweet little rambunctious baby boys are growing up and transforming right before our eyes. They are rapidly changing and so are their needs. It’s an exciting and exasperating time because although we love watching them mature into young men, we find ourselves in uncharted territory as parents. It’s so hard to keep up with it all and as…
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“My almost 11 year old doesn’t want to kiss me or hug me goodbye in the mornings anymore!” “I’m sick and tired of my teenager arguing about everything!” “My 12 year old use to talk to me, now they are so secretive and come home and go to their rooms.” Sound familiar? When your child…
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Summer season is here and kids are excited to take a much-needed break from school, catch up on sleep, and most likely spend hours upon hours on their digital devices. With more time on their hands come more opportunities for them to plug in and play video games, scroll social media, watch YouTube and Netflix all day long. Although…
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Since there is no “What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Teen,” we’re basically flying by the seat of our pants when we get here. And frankly, there is a lot they need from us, and even more we can learn from them. When my kids entered adolescence there was so much I didn’t even know to expect. The…
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Some of the best times I can remember, those moments when you laugh so hard you can’t breathe, happened while playing board games. Create some family memories of your own by playing a board game where everyone can play along! Family Game Night is a great tradition and it is never too late to start one! Board games bring out…
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I was coming back to the house from a long walk, sweaty, sore, and tired and I saw you kicking the soccer ball around in the yard, waiting for me to return to take you to practice. As I got closer, you walked toward me and I reached for you hoping for a hug, as I always do. To…
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In 1992, I stopped being a fan of Mother’s Day. My mom died suddenly that year, and Mother’s Day’s celebrations became a taunting and painful reminder of losing the person who loved me the most. Blast forward a decade or so to 2003. I’m married now. And although it’s been over ten years since my mom died, I’m…
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Like every mom, I have a lot on my plate right now. Looking over this week’s schedule, I see that my older daughter has five softball games, one driver’s training lesson, and a fundraiser to attend. The 13-year old has a voice lesson, one dance class, nine hours of play rehearsal, and a birthday party. I have a meeting…
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