Defining Success

How do you define success as a parent? Is it dependent on your child’s abilities and talents? This is a common issue for many families. I have to be honest, I am never impressed when I hear someone rattle off all the activities that little Johnny is involved in. I’m not moved by the fact a teenager is taking on a heavy load of AP courses, working and involved in sports. As a matter of fact, I actually start to feel sorry for the kid. The only way I might not is if I have full assurance the extra-curricular activities … Continue reading →

Bedtime for Devices

I was always one of those parents who had a bag full of “nevers.” You know what I mean. “I will never allow my child to…” Fill in the blank. It’s so easy before you have children to say what you will never do. And it’s just as easy when they are young to say what you will never do when they get older. Sure, some of my “nevers” I have stuck to. But there have been a few I tossed to the side. And in all honesty, at times it was a matter of not wanting to battle. One … Continue reading →

Taylor Swift the Prude

What does it say about our society when a celebrity is getting bashed for apparently not “putting out” often enough? Teen heartthrob Harry Styles from One Direction has had enough of Taylor Swift’s prudish ways and is moving on. Yet a current events television show was making fun of her. Personally, I would like to applaud her. But I would go even further and give her a standing ovation if she could say that she was saving herself for marriage. I know…that is so old-fashioned, right? Virginity is outdated, right? Actually, the concept of virginity seems to only be okay … Continue reading →

Separated But Not Really

Sometimes it takes the insights of someone else to come to the realization about an issue in your life. That was the case when fellow blogger Michele Cheplic recently posted, “No Chance to Miss Your Kid.” The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My 18-year-old son is two weeks away from graduating technical school (Security Forces) at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. His first duty station is going to be Turkey, which we anticipated to not happen until March. Yesterday I received word from him that his orders to go will likely be earlier, possibly the beginning of February. … Continue reading →

Shot through the Heart

Here’s a reality if you are the parent of a teen. Sometimes it is going to hurt your heart. In fact, this past week I found myself humming the tune of an old 80’s favorite, “Shot through the Heart” by Bon Jovi. Why? Because that is exactly how an incident made me feel. Teen attitudes can get in the way of joy. Adding to this, teens can be pretty unimpressed by our efforts to make life enjoyable or fun. And oftentimes they tend to see the glass as half-empty instead of half-full. So here I thought I had discovered a … Continue reading →

Signs of an Unhealthy Dating Relationship

One of the more challenging issues that parents have to deal with in raising teenagers is dating. Ideally this is something your family discusses long before the time arrives. There are a couple of reasons this is important. The first is that expectations are known ahead of time and can be clearly explained. The second reason is that you can begin planting this information into your teen’s mind, before they start dating. This avoids surprises. At the same time, be ready to make adjustments along the way. I really thought I had it set in stone what the “rules” were … Continue reading →

Ask Your Teen’s Opinion

Does your teen feel important? One of the best ways we can help in this area is to ask our teen’s opinion. Depending on your personality and parenting style, this could be difficult. For others it may come too easily. As with anything, there needs to be a healthy balance. Here is one of the benefits you will receive when you ask your teen’s opinion. They will be allowed the freedom of expression; the opportunity to communicate with us. That is a good thing. It can sometimes be difficult to get details from our teens, such as when we ask … Continue reading →

Advice from a Military Mom

Maybe you know a military mom. She could be someone in your family, a friend, a co-worker or an acquaintance. If you do, I have some important advice to give. Granted, there is some selfishness behind my advice. In fact, I am seriously considering emailing this blog to certain persons. But in the end, I will probably restrain myself and be content with helping others to understand a thing or two about what it’s like to be a military mom. It’s not that I’m attempting to put non-military moms in my shoes. And contrary to what some might assume, it’s … Continue reading →

Teens Can’t Be Our Entire World

When my children were younger, it felt like they made up my entire world. And in many ways that is true. Yet in the midst of raising small children, I still tried to find things that I was interested in, outside of parenting. This can still be a problem when our children become teens. If our lives revolve solely around them, it’s going to create certain challenges for them and us. The first is that we won’t be prepared for the season when we eventually become empty nesters. This can be a difficult period for many parents, but it can … Continue reading →

One Trick to Stop Nagging Now

Ever listen to a dripping faucet? It can quickly become an annoyance. But have you ever considered that maybe this is how we sound to our teens? Nagging is oftentimes attributed to wives. We have somehow earned this stereotype. Yet the reality is that parents can easily fall prey to this bad (and annoying) habit. Here’s what I think happens when we start nagging our teen. Suddenly all they hear is the sound Charlie Brown’s teacher makes when she talks. In other words, we are incomprehensible. Nothing is getting through because they stop hearing what we are saying. No wonder … Continue reading →