Let’s hear it for teens with techie talents, remote connection software, and loads of patience for their weary and whiny parents, far far away. A few nights ago, the audio on my laptop stopped working. Bit the dust. Dead. Nada. D-A-M-N-A-T-I-O-N. I wanted to play my favorite DVD! Yes, a chick flick. I tried control […]
Is College Still the Brass Ring? (Teen Stress, College Prep, College Applications)
Is college still the brass ring? With many parents financially strapped and savings wiped out, it’s only natural that we reconsider college for our sons and daughters. Once, it was a given that those four years meant the education needed to succeed, and essential experiences to test independence. My 18-year old is now a freshman […]
Six tips to beat holiday blues
BAM! ZAP! THWAK! Holy holidays, Batman! I flipped on the boob tube Halloween afternoon and what flashed across the screen? Christmas commercials – already!?! I’m all for boosting GNP, but do I have to fight the holiday blues this soon? For many of us, this premature, picture-perfect presentation of hyped-up-happy times is either irritating as […]
French Sex vs Proper Parenting
Yesterday, late afternoon, my cell flashed a number I didn’t recognize, but with a country code that I did. 33. France. That fine, flourishing, familiar place where I have friends – and lovers. The country that is home to my heart, where the streets energize me, the wine transports me, the art – even more […]
Family photos reveal changing dynamics
He was walking out the door with a red silk tie bound around his forehead, as his curls poked out from under a baseball cap and a brightly colored beanie – complete with propeller. As for the rest of him – let’s just say – I burst out laughing and reached for my nearby camera. […]
Parenting from a peripheral planet
The thing is – we remember when they were completely dependent on us, and we were the center of their universe. That makes the shift to the periphery a struggle. For us, not them. A teenager’s world may be built on a foundation lovingly laid, brick by brick, by one parent, two parents, grandparents, aunts, […]
Bread Crumbs, Stale Crusts, Potions: I Don’t Talk About My Ex
They aren’t lies, exactly – the things I say to my children about their father. I don’t talk about my ex much – not with them, and certainly not here except obliquely. Yet you may sense him in the background. An occasional presence, a haze, a storm brewing. You
Easy Eats: Recipe for Cheatin’ Chicken Cacciatore
It’s another frugal feast for four! My 16-year old skinny-as-a-stick-kiddo who eats non-stop would wipe me out if not for cheap, easy eats! But he’s got a discriminating palate. Not just anything will do. We need tasty, filling, healthy and affordable. And I need quick to prepare, with little cleanup. Remember the two for 20 […]
SAT scores, SATurday SAD face, SAT tips
SATs. Remember those? Compliments of the College Board, SATs bring us one competitive step closer to the you-you-you-gotta-be-kidding-me indenture inducing university of your choice. Looked at tuition for almost any college lately? Can you spell I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y ??? Yes, it’s SATurday. Four hours of teen torture for millions of students across the country, including my 16-year […]
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans…
Never assume. It’s one of the rules I live by. Never assume. It has served me well. But now and then, I forget that dictum that’s opened doors, helped make wise decisions, and kept me a little more prepared for an unknown future. After all, the future is always unknown. John Lennon said it: “Life […]