I am challenging myself to hug my teen and do so as often as I can. Does anyone else ever deal with an irrational teenager? Asking for a friend. May the Lord have mercy on me because some days I feel utterly exasperated and exhausted. The mental exhaustion is so draining I find myself physically exhausted too. Then,…
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These days I’m doing a lot more for my kids than I normally would. I find myself saying, “What can I do for you?” often because they are managing so many new things that are hard to navigate during these precarious times. My freshman and Senior both recently transitioned from full-time virtual school to a blended educational model. They…
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If my 1980s childhood were a museum exhibit, it would feature jelly shoes, Noxzema cleansing cream, and dozens of dog-eared Sweet Valley High books. My middle school friends and I consumed this young adult series like we guzzled Slurpees. Sweet Valley High chronicled the lives of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, identical twin sisters who lived in a fictional, sun-drenched,…
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How Do Teen Boys Feel Loved By Their Moms Moms reach out to me on a weekly basis expressing their sadness when their sons hit the tween and teen years and begin to pull away. “How do I connect with my son now that our relationship is changing?” or “How do I get my teen boy to talk to…
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My daughter had a big day ahead of her. She was anxiously anticipating the final assignment of her internship with our church’s local outreach ministry where each intern would be giving a presentation they had worked on for several weeks. She spent every day of her summer serving our city’s communities in need, participating in leadership training and book…
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Dear teen son, There are many different skills you’ll need to learn during these pivotal years that will help you be responsible and successful when you’re on your own. You know we are pretty intent on teaching you the values and virtues we uphold in our family and seeing you demonstrate them in your choices every day brings me…
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There are many things that are positive about social media and the internet. After all, you’re reading this and I’m so happy that you are! BUT, social media is not so great when it comes to comparing and measuring ourselves, our kids, and our lives. Social media is an illusion of “happy,” “perfect,” and “my life is great.” Social media…
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I know you’re wondering how time has flown by so quickly. Your adolescent seems to have grown up in front of your eyes. If you’re finding yourself contemplating how you’ve been doing as a parent lately, wondering if you’ve done enough, I’m here to tell you don’t worry. You see, while I don’t have children of my own just…
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Communicating with our teenagers can be a challenge. At times, it can seem impossible to get them to open up and talk to us. When we’re lucky and they finally do, they can say some things that are really hard for us to hear. When our child says something that upsets us, it’s easy to feel like we’ve blown it…
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Here’s a no-brainer: moms wear a lot of hats. There’s one particular mom-hat that is absolutely crushing our skulls in these days of pandemic parenting. I like to call this hat the I validate your pain but also I promise that the world is not conspiring against you so listen to your trustworthy mom as I provide some encouragement…
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Homeschooling is becoming more widespread due to COVID-19. It’s a good alternative for elementary and middle school students if one parent can be home and take control of the homeschool curriculum. But, what if your child is in high school or college, doesn’t want to be doing school from home, and is feeling stressed at the thought of another…
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My dear son, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you are a freshman in high school. How on earth we got here so fast, I’ll never know. You’re still my boy, you’ll always be. But every time I look at you, it seems you’re transforming into this young man. It’s happening right before my eyes….
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