Big Kid
Alpha Mom Book Club: Brainstorm
We review and discuss Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel. Book club questions included.
Big Kid
Fitting Those Hard-To-Fit Teenagers
Raising teenagers is hard enough; finding clothes that fit them properly shouldn’t be another fight. Here’s a few tips for a couple of common challenges.
Family Fun
5 Summer Camps Parents Wish Existed
It seems like there are camps that specialize in almost any interest a child might have. Here are just a few of the kids summer camps I wish actually existed.
Big Kid
How To Have a Successful Multi-Family Vacation
We just returned from a multi-family vacation with my best friend and her family and despite our fears, we all survived and loved it.
Big Kid
The Unexpected Views On Our Extended-Family Vacation
With our family scattered all over the country, the extended-family vacation is a rare joy. Seeing my teens through my family’s eyes may be the best part.
Big Kid
Our Day On The River With The Teenagers
I seem to see life themes in everything my kids do these days. Taking them kayaking was an interesting peek into their different approaches to life.
Big Kid
Advice to My Teen Daughter on Finding Her Personal Style
Our styles are vastly different, but I’m here to help….because I’ve made every fashion mistake there is.
Parenting
On Motherhood, Love, Happiness and Reality
Given the recent attention to mothers confessing secretly about hating motherhood, I thought it was time to ‘fess up to my own secret of parenting.
Big Kid
Love as an Acceptable Risk
Loving means opening yourself to heartbreak. How can I help my kids learn how to balance risk and reward when it comes to love? Our dogs help.
Big Kid
Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby
Teenagers and burgeoning sexuality. The conversations are becoming more difficult, but we’ll keep having them, because communication and knowledge are key.
Big Kid
Ballad of the School Morning Teen
Some mornings leave you only the option to laugh or cry. With a hat tip to Dr. Seuss, I’m attempting the former while channeling my kids.
Big Kid
The More Teens Change, The More They Don’t
My teens are growing up, and in some ways everything seems different, now. In plenty of other ways, though, it’s all still very familiar.
Big Kid
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Teaching older kids about the ins and outs of respect has to be about reminding them that they control themselves and no one else, but it’s tricky territory.
Big Kid
Hello Teenagers, Goodbye Romance
Having teenagers in the house is a solemn death knell of romance for the parents. And they’re not even sorry about it, either.
Big Kid
When My Kids Grow Up, I Want Them To Be Flexible
Today’s kids are being pushed to pick out their career paths way too young, I think, and I’d rather we teach them to keep an open mind and adventuresome spirit.
Big Kid
Friendship Rules for the Big Kids
Much as all the Commandments follow from the first one, I feel like all friendship rules flow from “be nice,” but it gets more complicated as the kids grow up.
Big Kid
Simplifying Laundry for our Busy Family
I’m raising responsible household managers who will stand on their own two feet one day; fully capable of the daily skills. independent adults need to know.
Big Kid
My New Anthem For Parenting Teens
“Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen is the perfect anthem for parents of teens; it’s time to let them go, as scary as that is for both them and us.
Big Kid
Summertime and Teens
Having older kids should make summer less complicated, not more; at least, that’s what I used to think. Planning for the “right” kind of summer is still daunting.
Big Kid
Should I Become a Tiger Mom?
If Tiger Moms are known for their overparenting, then I am an underparenter. Am I doing it wrong?