My son was in first grade when he demanded I stop touching him at school pickup and drop-off. A public hug, it seems, was affecting his street cred with the playground population. I guess he had to make a choice between the mother who loved and cared for him for the last six years and a bunch of playground hoodlums who still ate things from their noses. I lost. Over the years his resistance leaked into our behind-closed-doors life as well. And now I am being actively shunned by a 16-year-old ... View the Post
4 Hilarious Strategies To Coerce A Teen Son’s Hug
My First Born Is In College And I Cherish The Moments When He’s Home
It has been a long four months away. My firstborn is home tonight from his first semester at college, and I can't stop smiling. I sing a song as I gather up the dinner dishes in the sink, and I hear the washer groan from his weeks-long laundry finally being done. My son has opened and closed the refrigerator door enough times tonight that I think we'll burn through a light bulb. “Mom, there's so much good stuff in here!” he says, laughing. This is no accident, I've run to the store twice today ... View the Post
I Buy All the Family Holiday Gifts. Here’s What I Want This Year
Recently, my husband and I were discussing the holidays, specifically gift shopping. The conversation went something like this: Me: "What should I get for your mother/father/sisters/assistant/kids/kids' teachers/office Secret Santa/mail carrier?" Him: "What do you want for Christmas?" Ladies, you are the MVPs of holiday shopping. It's hard work carrying the mental load of remembering sizes, preferences and what your teen said she had to have six months ago. Guys, listen up: we ... View the Post
When Stress Leads to Anger in Teen Boys
A few weeks ago, at the end of a long day full of work, school, and after-school activities, my husband and I decided we’d lighten our load a bit by taking our two kids out for dinner at the local taco dive. “Can I bring my laptop?” my seventh grader asked. “I want to keep working on my homework.” “Absolutely,” I said. It was an unusual request for Lucas, who has ADHD. I was proud he was taking initiative, as he has always struggled to get work completed and turned in on time. He’d been a ... View the Post
Grab Your Hankies, “Dear Evan Hansen” Is Slated To Come To The Big Screen
If you or anyone in your household has even a pinky finger on the pulse of the goings-on of Broadway, you’ve probably heard the buzz about Dear Evan Hansen. Last year, the show won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Lead Actor (Ben Platt), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Rachel Bay Jones). The show has been heralded by many musical theater devotees as a life-changing experience (as verified by several of my musical theater-obsessed friends who’ve traveled to New York ... View the Post
The Secret to Not Losing It When Your College Kid Returns Home
Do you want to know the secret to not running away from your own home like a crazy person when your college kid returns? Whether it’s for a holiday break, summer vacation or because they withdrew (which let’s just say might have happened in my house), the secret is to collect Bonus Points. Shhh....don’t tell anyone, but Bonus Points get me through the day, and you can get Bonus Points, too. Now, these aren’t points you get for clipping coupons or using Ebates. These are invisible points you ... View the Post