We were sure our son would jump for joy at our parental directive to work fewer hours while also being encouraged to go out and have fun. There were no jumps for joy. There was only a look of confusion and an "I don't even know how to do that."
Category: Thoughts on Parenting
The Meandering Career Path
"The average person has twelve jobs in their lifetime. TWELVE! You don’t have to stay where you start for the rest of eternity!" We hope our children are discovering that today's decisions do not have to apply to the rest of their lives.
Bostunned. We Relish.
We often talk of life turning on a dime or about unexpected calamities that we are unable to peel our thoughts away from. The truth is, I suppose, that life can turn on a dime and point to something amazing just as easily.
The College Try? Never Heard of It.
As written for Grown and Flown, a terrific resource for parents to discover just how normal their teens actually are. Well, we’re only one week into summer break and, already, I’m over it. Not the whole thing, but definitely the part where I (again) live with a seventeen-year-old who (again) I really do love very, … Continue reading The College Try? Never Heard of It.
Junior Prom: A Note to My Son
Well, we’re here. Junior Prom. How is that even possible? And is there any chance at all of prepping the child who is currently experiencing a case of the Terrible-Seventeens? Probably not, but I did give it a go.
The Good WiFi
If your child is experiencing their terrible-seventeens ... you might want to upgrade that vacation WiFi package.
Normalize This.
The benefits of a work hiatus? More free time. The "maybe this isn't a benefit?" More free space! Welcome to my brain.
A Parental Rebrand
Ten seconds ago, you were knee-deep in diapers. And now? That child (or children) are gone. You spent eighteen years preparing your tiny humans for a launch and, in the process, somehow, you forgot to prepare yourself.
Empty Nest? Empty BEST!
I know we are all supposed to be offering odes to our college-bound children. I know, as we see the “time to move out!” pile grow taller, we are supposed to fully lean into our feelings of sadness and despair and question how, exactly, we will move on with an empty bed in our homes. It’s just that I am having other, more happy feelings, as well.
Today’s Menu
I don’t mean to brag, but I did finally learn to cook. When I first moved in with my instant family, I would look at whichever box I pulled out of the pantry and think, “Okay, serving size, 4oz…so…what, make four of those?”