The vast majority of athletes who make it onto any college roster have trained and struggled for years to earn a spot. (mTaira/Shutterstock) In the aftermath of the college admissions scandal, there is something we need to get straight. One of the scams perpetrated by Rick Singer, the consultant at the center of the scandal was to bribe Division 1 coaches to “recruit” students with fake athletic profiles. As the mother of three teenagers, the false packaging of kids as student athletes ... View the Post
For The Average Young Athlete, Sports Isn’t A Free Ride To College
To Help My Son Prepare For College, I Learned To Let Him Take The Lead
With just one month to go before my son left for college, I wanted to help him get ready to go. I assumed I stood in good stead because I’d already been through it twice. With just one month to shop, organize, and pack for college, I was feeling the burn in my stomach every time I passed Bed, Bath & Beyond. My two older sons, without ever looking up from their phones, shared their collective wisdom: “Don’t let her buy the jumbo pack of highlighters. You’ll be lucky if you use ... View the Post
Grandparents Are The Real MVPs (and Unsung Heroes) Of Raising Teens
Now that my kids are teens, I need all the help I can get from their grandparents. 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 me that someday, I, too, would understand what it was like to watch your first born get married. “Just you wait,” ... View the Post
Best Graduation Party Ideas: 10 Things Not to Forget
Here are practical tips you didn't even know you needed for the best graduation party ever. (emilyyya/Shutterstock) My husband and I refer to our firstborn as our “learner child”: we figure some things out on her and make (slightly) fewer mistakes with her younger sister. Case in point: our older daughter’s high school graduation party a few years ago. With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, here’s what I now know I needed…that I didn’t know I needed then…that you can bet I’ll be rounding up ... View the Post
It’s More Than OK to Have a Life Outside of Our Children
It's good for kids to see their mom doing what she enjoys. (Kinda/ Shutterstock) When my first son I was born I sat in the hospital with my arms around him as The Today Show blared in the background. I wondered how I'd ever care about anything else besides him for the rest of my life All the things I thought I'd think about: my doughy body, how much sleep I'd be getting now that I was a mom, how the house would get clean, or how I'd find time for that sewing class I'd been dying ... View the Post
Why Some Parents Are Willing to Pay Millions To Get Their Kid Into College
There is blame to go around in the college admission scandal. (Shutterstock/Andre-Popov) If you haven’t heard, we are in the midst of the largest college entrance cheating scandal ever. I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Fifty people have been indicted in this particular scandal, but these indictments are an indictment of us all. When I was a child, my father taught at a “name brand” university and although he prized education above all else, or ... View the Post