I overheard my daughter talking to her friends one Friday night while we were hosting a sleepover. While I was climbing the stairs to go into her room to see what kind of pizza I should order for the night, I got a strange feeling as I overheard the conversation she was having with her friends. Apparently, some of the girls (some of the very cool girls) in her class had made a list and they were passing it around English class. As a mom of a teen, you quickly realize when your kids need ... View the Post
There Are Times When Your Teen May Be Bullied For Doing The Right Thing
I Am A Recovering Gambling Addict And My Teens Don’t Know Yet
Deep in the recesses of my past, a bleak darkness hides. It is a source of shame, this black hole that devoured me and nearly dragged those I love down with me, whom I’m certain felt the substantial pull of My close friends and family know the depths that it took me, how far into the abyss it dragged me down. They also know the will and fortitude it took to make my way out from under crushing weight of its control. Nearly everyone I love knows. All except my teens. They don’t have the ... View the Post
Please Post Your Kid’s College Acceptance To Social Media
Your kid just got into college. Yay them and yay you. You want to shout it from the mountaintop (as in post it on Facebook) but you hesitate because you know that there are others who have been rejected or who haven’t yet heard. And, we have long been chided against being braggadocios. You don’t want to hurt anyone, and you don’t want to be a braggart, but you want people to know, and you would love to give your kid, and if you’re honest, yourself, this moment in the limelight. We recently ... View the Post
New Survey Says “Boys Will Be Boys” And That Needs To Change
For decades now we have, at the very least, been paying lip service to the notion that our girls need to be empowered to shatter the glass ceiling. At least part of that message seems to be getting through. But as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. An article recently published in The New York Times, Many Ways to Be a Girl, but One Way to Be a Boy: The New Gender Rules, examined the results of a survey done by Plan International called The State of Gender Equality for ... View the Post
Four Reasons Why All I Want For The Holidays is a Sock Monkey
What came out of my mouth was, "A homemade sock monkey." When my teenagers asked me what I wanted for the holidays, that’s what I said. I could surely use a Roomba, a vacation, new PJs, or a massage. But really, all I want is a sock monkey. But a cute one, not a brown and red one - not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just a simple sock monkey. Made. By. Them. Here are four reasons why I want Curious George’s cousin as a gift – it’s really more for them than for me, but shhh…don’t tell ... View the Post
Seasonal Affective Disorder Is A Common Concern for College Kids, Experts Say
As the days shorten and the temperature cools, limiting warmth and sunlight, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an ailment that affects many this time of year. A more intense and disruptive variety of “winter blues,” SAD is a “subset of a depressive disorder,” according to Jordan D. Barnard, licensed psychologist at the Pennsylvania State University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). SAD acts like depression in that the shift in mood caused by darker, colder days negatively ... View the Post