The following press release was based on the true story of shopping at the mall with my teenage daughter, 14. Enjoy! *** Jennifer Smith, 50, was reported missing from Midtown Mall on Friday afternoon at approximately 3:43 pm. Smith was last seen shopping inside Forever 21 with her teenage daughter, 14. “This was her dream, [Read More]
Four Tips about Womanhood I Had To Teach My Daughter
Recently I shared the story of teaching my teenage daughter the one tip about womanhood she just needed to know. “What is it?” you ask, frothing with curiosity. Trust me when I say it’s not what you think! You’ll just have to head over to my first essay on AARP’s The Girlfriend to find out. [Read More]
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A Letter of Apology To My Teenage Daughter Who Has To Share A Bathroom With Her Brother
Dear Teenage Daughter, Your father and I would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the negative experience you have had sharing a bathroom with your older brother. It was our main goal to provide an exemplary lavatorial experience for members of our family and we realize that your experience has fallen short. I understand [Read More]
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Telling My Teens about the “Old Days” (When I Was a Kid)
“Mom, did they have paper plates when you were little?” I looked at my teen who had just asked this question, thinking he had to be joking. But he stared at me with all seriousness. My teenager thought we didn’t have PAPER PLATES when I was little? You mean, in the 70s and 80s? Yikes! [Read More]
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Old School Pop Culture References That My Kids Don’t Get
Ready for a laugh? Then check out this list of pop culture phrases and sayings from the 70s and 80s that your kids have never heard of! This article was originally published on Filter Free Parents. “Don’t touch that dial!” joked the weatherman on the morning news. I chuckled and looked at my teenage daughter [Read More]
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One Simple Thing Encouraged My Teen to Join our Family During the Pandemic
Got teens? Got teens in a pandemic? I do and it inspired the post below, which I wrote during the height of the stay-at-home order in April. This originally appeared on Grown and Flown. I never thought a pandemic would magnify typical teenage behavior in my sixteen-year-old son. However, my son still wants nothing to [Read More]
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Middle School Chronicles: A Summer in Quarantine
I’m pleased to welcome my daughter Sydney to the blog today. Sydney is an 8th grader who wrote the post below about her summer in quarantine. When she’s not writing, Sydney enjoys playing ice hockey, strumming on her ukulele, and baking. Welcome Sydney! “Middle school is easy,” said no one ever. The constant social issues, [Read More]
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A Letter to My Teenager’s Car
Last summer, my teen turned 16 and got his driver’s license. It was definitely a rite of passage for him–and me! He also got a used car, not because his dad and I are bajillionaires, but because we found a car that fit our price range. Now our teen could drive himself to hockey practice, [Read More]
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How to Survive Being Housebound with Teens during Coronavirus
How do you survive the coronavirus pandemic with teens? I’m not talking about the virus itself (check out the CDC for real facts), rather being housebound with teens for three weeks. Yup, my kids, ages 16 and 13, have no school or activities here in Michigan until at least April 6. They don’t have homework [Read More]
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Teens Are Like Cats: Let Me Count The Ways
It was 11 am on a beautiful Saturday morning. Humming a little ditty about Jack and Diane, I opened the blinds in my teenage son’s room. As the sunlight streamed in, I changed both my volume and my tune, belting out Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi in hopes of waking my sleeping son. [Read More]
