With a household of young adults aged 15-20, I am in the final years of my hands-on parenting stage, and the empty nest is getting closer and closer. If I think too hard about this fact, I am liable to burst into tears. However, sometimes this revelation is a light in a tunnel of teenage... Continue Reading →
My version of the ‘You’re Grounded’ Points List
I recently became enamored with a Points List that a mother used when her kid got grounded. Basically, the mother created a list of things her child could do to get off groundation, each task attached to a certain number of points. Once the child reached 500 points, they were done being grounded. I think... Continue Reading →
The argument for SAHMs, and against Amy Glass
This week, the blogging world exploded when Amy Glass blatantly put down stay at home moms (SAHMs) when she wrote a blog titled "I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry". Here are a few token quotes: "Do people really think that a stay at home mom is really... Continue Reading →
Hacking your kids’ online accounts
A friend of mine wrote recently about an incident in her childhood that left a bad taste in her mouth. Her father had set her up on a private computer, telling her she could write about anything she wanted to without worry of anyone seeing anything. What he didn't tell her was that he'd mirrored... Continue Reading →
When appliances talk back
In the morning, I am usually the last one to leave the house. I kind of like it that way, because it gives me a few moments of quiet in an empty house. Of course, it also means that I am the one who is left with a sink full of dishes to fill the... Continue Reading →
Siblings – a link to the past
Something strange has been happening in my house for the past few weeks. The kids have been getting along. I know, weird, right? On a recent afternoon, DQ had just finished asking me if she could bring Taz along with her some of the times she went out to hang with her friends. The two... Continue Reading →
Confession: I hate school projects
This post will publish in the Press Democrat on Friday, Feb. 22. I hate school projects. There. I’ve said it. I’ve often felt like it was more homework for the parents than it is for the kids. Yes, I understand that school projects are meant to be for the kids. But please tell that to... Continue Reading →
Keeping kids entertained
This article will be published in the Press Democrat on Friday, February 8. A friend of mine had to teach a group of teenagers about how seeds travel so they can germinate. Her challenge: how to teach about the topic and also keep these technology driven kids interested for more than an hour. As a... Continue Reading →
Why I let my teen move out
I know I already wrote about this. In fact, she has already moved. But after much thought, I decided to also write a newspaper article about what's going on in our home. I figure plenty of divorced families are going through the same thing as their child decides which parent to live with full time. ... Continue Reading →
Dating your kids
This article appears in the Press Democrat on Friday, October 6, 2012. Last month I wrote about the importance of dating your spouse. Hopefully this resulted in some kid-free, uninterrupted conversation, and perhaps even a few steamy moments…. If not, let this serve as a note of inspiration to book a sitter for a much... Continue Reading →