I hope you enjoy this month’s contribution to Hallmark’s “Life Is A Special Occasion” campaign! (I’m sure you will. Trust me.) “Keep the lines of communication open” is one of my favorite pieces of advice to dole out when people ask me how to survive once their kids become teenagers. I have always tried to do that with my own kids and, although making the time to talk with your kids (and listen too, because you know, TWO WAY and all that kind of stuff) isn’t an iron-clad guarantee that everything’s gonna be alright, it’s definitely one of the best ways to set a strong foundation that can help fix…
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Cell Phone Tips For A Safe Summer (Or Any Other Season)
I often discuss with my friends the pros and cons of the technology that’s available today as it relates to youngsters. Even though technology seems to make things much easier for us, it also opens the world up for our kids, probably a little more than many of us parents would like it to be opened. Take cell phones, for example. Let’s say that you have a kid who likes to push the limits or, okay, one who likes to break rules. (There, I said it.) She could use the cell phone to fib about her whereabouts. She could use a cell phone to access things she isn’t supposed to,…
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Third Time’s A Charm!
We had quite a fantastic Monday night around here. After a harrowing evening of negotiations, seventeen-year-old J finally bought (with his own money) a new car that is, according to our mechanic, reliable. It’s his third car. Wait, what? Didn’t I tell you about getting rid of Zeus and buying a second car that proved to be a terrible decision? Oopsie. Zeus the Neon (car #1) came down with a case of needing a repair that was much too expensive to have our mechanic fix and much too time-consuming for Jim and J to take on at home, so he sold it. And he, like his brother after he sold…
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What Teenagers Do Behind Closed Doors
If there’s one thing you parents of young children should know about what happens when they become teenagers, it’s that their bedroom door will often be closed. (Technically there’s more than one thing you should know but let’s just tackle this one for today.) It’s all a part of their asserting independence and wanting real privacy, even though “real privacy”–in my family, anyway–isn’t scheduled to happen for the offspring until they are living on their own. For teens, closing the door can make circumstances more forgivable to play music really loudly, easier to have a quiet phone call after it is technically allowed, conducive to an illicit afternoon nap when…
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How To Find College Scholarships
I didn’t want to write a post that included advice on the college search without adding another one on college scholarships. Again, I’m no expert: I’m just a mom of two teenagers who does a lot of research and keeps her eyes open. That said, maybe you are looking for ways to make college less expensive and can use any help you can get. So there we are. In no particular order, here are some tips on finding money for school: Check your high school’s website. Our high school has a really great website and part of it contains everything you would want to know about locally-based scholarships like those…