My son is a college junior and dormitory resident assistant. Periodically, he is required to host and teach educational forums and events for the freshman residents on his floor. He recently shared on social media pictures of his latest event, which was him teaching and providing resources on how to drink safely and responsibly. I gasped when I saw this post. My son is literally teaching underage students how to drink? I assumed when and if the university housing department sees this, surely he ... View the Post
Colleges Are Teaching Students How to Drink Responsibly. Why This is a Good Thing
20 Songs From The ‘80s and ‘90s We Still Need In Our Lives Today
The other day I felt glorious: the sun was out, my son was driving me around, and when our favorite radio station started playing The Spice Girls, Wannabe, and my beloved son turned it up, I couldn't stop my body from moving even though it was killing him softly. I mean, he tried many, many times and I could tell he regretted his decision but his wanting to hear that beat trumped his decision to turn it off so his mom could stop humiliating him because it's that good-- even to someone who was ... View the Post
How to Appeal a Financial Aid Award When Your Family Needs More Money
It’s spring of senior year and your daughter has just received the best news of her life. “Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that…” You see the biggest smile on her face, followed by tears of joy as she learns she has just been admitted to the school of her dreams. As you look at page two of her letter you feel like crying too, but for completely different reasons. The financial aid award isn’t close to what you will need to make her dream school affordable. The one remedy still ... View the Post
The Day I Realized I Pushed My College Daughter Too Far
My daughter silently tears up in the back seat. I only notice because her voice cracks a little so I turn around. Her dad and I try to sound supportive while we plow her with questions about why she’s changing her college major, again. We’re failing miserably. In the years since Taylor turned double digits, I can count on one hand the number of times I made her cry. The last was four years ago when I begged her over and over to at least apply to a stellar state university we recently visited. ... View the Post
How Not to Get Sucked Into The Rabbit Hole of Worry With Your College Kid
I wrote a very popular meme a few years ago that simply said, I thought I used to 'worry’ a lot when my kids were little. Then I had teenagers. You know what I would give right now to worry about nap times and sippy cups? Everything. It was right at the time my firstborn went away to college, and aside from the fact my maternal emotions were predictably all over the “freak out” spectrum, frequently screaming things in my head like, “MY BABY IS LEAVING ME!” was the fact I now found ... View the Post
“The Golden Girls” Taught Me All I Needed To Know About Raising Teens
Growing up, Saturday night prime time television shows were sacred in our house. My brothers and I would put on our pajamas, make popcorn in the air popper and crowd around on the floor while my parents settled in on the couch. I can still feel my teenaged brothers elbowing me to make room for their gangly legs as we watched Marla Gibbs on 227 and Sherman Helmsley on Amen. But, my favorite part of the night was when The Golden Girls episode aired. From the moment I watched the first episode ... View the Post