Newsfeed and Instagram accounts are overflowing with them. So are smartphone camera rolls. And everywhere we look, we see hearts of moms and dads bursting with pride. BURSTING! The world right now is full of humble, heartfelt, and gracious posts and pics (and thoughts and feelings) about all the very smart children, tweens, or teenagers roaming among us. It must be because it’s May, which means it’s officially “Achievement Olympics” season. End of the School Year Awards ... View the Post
What You Need to Know About “Euphoria,” HBO’s First Teen Drama Series
If you have a teenager at home, there’s no doubt you’re probably all too familiar with the huge variety of teen drama series that are currently offered by streaming TV services. Teens don’t watch TV the way we did, and why should they? They have the luxury of binge watching anything from the teen reality offerings on MTV (think 16 and Pregnant), to dystopian or vampiric laced dramas and high school romcoms on Netflix, to reruns of the ever popular Gossip Girls and the like on Amazon ... View the Post
Is Your Teen Reluctant to Get Their Driver’s License? Should You Push Them?
I turned 16 in 1988, and like many teens in the 1980s (and many decades prior), getting your driver’s license on the day you turned 16 wasn’t the exception, it was the absolute rule. There was no delaying it for one single day. You were there when the doors of the DMV opened on your birthday, then a few hours later you were cruising to the closest McDonald’s, experiencing that first sweet taste of total independence and pure freedom. What Happened to Teen Driving Culture? Teen driving ... View the Post
The Best Books To Give College Students for 2019 Graduation
Even though they’ve had their heads in books all semester, giving books to your college student is still the perfect gift. It’s also a good way to help start their own personal libraries, so when they do get that first apartment, there will have plenty of books to fill up that IKEA bookshelf. These titles are all ideal for the 18-25 year old set, and anyone starting out in the real world for the first time. We receive compensation for purchases made through these links. Best Books for ... View the Post
As You Celebrate Your High School Senior, Remember How Much YOU Did To Get Them There
It’s all about THEM! THEY are graduating high school! THEY have been working hard for four years! THEY have been waking at dawn, doing school for 6 hours, doing sports and drama and service and a hundred other things, all just to fill up resumes and scholarship applications and to, of course, make the best of their high school years! And now the next few months will continue to be all about THEM, while we plan their graduation parties and all the other end of year events we’re going ... View the Post
Elite Club Sports Teams and the Dramatic Shift in High School Athletics
I recently overheard some parents of 8th graders discussing the high school athletic programs their kids will soon be headed to. One expressed concern over the fact her son would most likely not make the soccer team because he has only been playing for three years, and only playing on the local "county parks and recreation” team. Her son won’t be able to physically compete (or even measure up) to the kids who have been playing year round traveling club soccer since elementary school. The ... View the Post