How will you know your teen has grown and flown? Your refrigerator will tell you. If there are no school lunch menus, calendars, or newsletters on the frig door, you’ve moved into early retirement parenting. Instead of daily prompts, there will be annual reminders, like the university’s Parents Weekend. You’re in paternal retirement when the only items are coupons for Lipitor, Estroven, and Viagra. When you were childless, the refrigerator was just another appliance. The door, plastered ... View the Post
When Your Teen Leaves For College, Your Refrigerator Feels Your Pain
The Biggest Difference Between Being a Teen in the 80s and Now
Of all the differences between my daughter and me, the fact that she doesn’t “people watch” is one of the most difficult to understand. I was a teenager in the 80s, when interacting was done live, not on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. There was no screen separating strangers. “Look up!” I constantly tell my 12-year-old daughter, who always seems to be looking at her phone. I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan before it was trendy. The street I lived on had nothing for kids ... View the Post
This Vet Talks About College Students and the Dogs They Leave Behind
As any dog lover will tell you, the absolute best part of sharing your life with them is the unconditional love they give you. Indeed, recent studies suggest that having a dog is especially beneficial for adolescents, precisely for this reason. But the hardest part of living with and loving a dog may well be watching how quickly his life passes. One minute he’s a frisky pup, jumping up and stealing bites of pizza off your kids’ plates and the next—starting at age seven, say veterinarians—he ... View the Post
Director of Admission Shares the Truth About College Essays
Last week I talked to a high school senior as a favor to a friend. The student is not applying to Georgia Tech, so I was giving him general application advice. We talked about prioritizing extra-curricular activities, such as putting the things you care about most and have the most involvement with, first. While an application may have eight, 10 or 30 lines for involvement, busy admission officers who speed read this section may only get to third on the list. Make them want to keep learning ... View the Post
The Word “No” is a Complete Sentence: How to Stop Being Supermom
Does the idea of being Supermom excite you or make you really tired? Here’s the deal, there’s a lot to do in a day but who says you are the one who has to do it all or that it all has to be done right now? If having systems in place to ensure things can carry on with or without you sounds like magic, then these tips are for you. 5 Strategies to Combat Supermom Syndrome 1. Be vulnerable Ask for help and then let people help you. The people that love you are not mind readers. If you look ... View the Post
It’s the Honor Of My Life to Raise and Love My Children
My kids spent the week of July 4th with their father at a little lakefront house I shared with them before my ex-husband and I got divorced. I was thinking of them every second they were gone; jumping off the deck, dipping their fishing poles in the lake after lunch, and taking late-night boat rides to watch the fireworks. I was sad of course, it still feels unnatural for me to be away from my kids even though we’ve shared custody for over two years. But, I was cheery and upbeat in our text ... View the Post