Big Kid
A College Education, the Key to a Happy Life or Not?
A realistic look at the benefit of attending a private 4-year college education versus the amount of money it will cost.
Big Kid
Stages of Grief vis-à-vis Grounding the Teenager
A mother’s hilarious portrayal of various stages of emotions involved for both the parent and teen when the teen is grounded.
Big Kid
Your Teen Has a Friend You Don’t Like, 11 Things You Can Do About It
It’s bound to happen. Your kid is going to make a friend that you don’t like. What do you do? How do you know whether to step in or stand back?
Big Kid
Motivating Meals
What if I told you that the way to get your teenagers to do chores around the house was to use food as motivation? Hear me out.
Big Kid
Home Alone, the Milestone Not the Movie
In the past week I have had conversations with several people about what age is okay to leave your child home alone. What do you think?
Big Kid
Teenagers and Curfews
What do you think is an appropriate curfew for teenagers? Do you remember having a curfew when you were that age? Do you think it would be okay if I just locked my teenagers in a plastic bubble until they turn thirty?
Big Kid
Advice for a Lifetime
I have been thinking about the sort of things I want my six kids to know before they head off into the world, to college, and beyond.
Big Kid
Allowances, Chores, and the Bank of Mom
It appears to me that all of my son’s friends have unlimited budgets. Unfortunately for my son, the Bank of Mom does not.
Big Kid
Has Feminism Killed Chivalry and Good Old Fashioned Manners?
I hear people talk about kids now-a-days and how they are rude, unhelpful, and reeking of self-entitlment. Here are 10 ways your kids can practice good manners.
Big Kid
Teens and Dating
Have teen girls become more aggressive in dating situations? Here is one mother’s experience with her teen son and dating.
Big Kid
Rubber Bracelets, promoting Cancer Awareness one preteen boy at a time
Teen boys are wearing bracelets with the message I Love Boobies. Do these bracelets really raise awareness for breast cancer or are they promoting sexism?
Big Kid
Caught, Not Taught
I’ve been thinking about the qualities that people most often comment about in my children and how they learned those things.
Big Kid
The Boundary Between You and Your Child
What no one tell you is that while you are longing for some space, one day the roles will reverse. You will be the needy one in the relationship.
Big Kid
When the Tables are Turned on Mommyblogging
I was worried about what my kids would think of the things I wrote about them, turns out I should have worried about what they would write about ME.
Young Child
The Line in the Sand
What has happened for me as parent is redefining what actually matters, not getting as caught up in the small things, and choosing my battles wisely.
Big Kid
Is Technology Making Us Better Parents?
We have the illusion of control and the peace of mind that comes with technology. But are we better parents or the same parents with more to feel guilty about?
Big Kid
Five Mistakes Every Kid Should be Allowed to Make
A parents first inclination is save our children when something goes wrong in their lives. Truth is we all learn better through making our own mistakes.
Big Kid
Teens, Sex and Porn
What I hadn’t realized then was that was the easy part, discussing the cut and dry mechanics of sex. I hadn’t realized that it was just the beginning of an ongoing conversation where I would have to push past my own embarrassment and get over my own hang ups.
Big Kid
The Best Things
People ask “Does it get easier?” That’s a tough question to answer. Physically? Without a doubt. Mentally? Emotionally? I think it becomes much more difficult.
Big Kid
After the Diagnosis
My son was 7 when he was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, OCD. As a parent who had been opposed to medication this was a humbling, eye-opening experience.