Well I have messed up big time in my parenting. The future of my daughter is uncertain because I managed to somehow make a huge mistake. Here in Wisconsin we have the option to do what is called “open enrollment” if you want to enroll your child in a school that is not in your district. Unfortunately the school district I live in has very few good schools. When it comes to high schools, forget it. Our neighborhood high school has a very bad reputation. So my oldest son attends a great high school that is out of our district. … Continue reading →

I have been counting down the days to Thursday, when I will be able to take a trip out of town. Every year a bunch of women from my church attends a district-wide women’s conference that has been held in a variety of locations. This year it is at the Kalahari Water Park…can you say lazy river? I have gone most years but there have been some I missed due to conflicts. This year was going to be a particularly special one because it is the first year that my daughter can attend, now that she is a teen. I … Continue reading →

When catastrophes happen, do teens really grasp the horror or tragedy of the event? Some experts don’t think so because they believe that most teens have become desensitized. There are a number of ways that teens can become desensitized—the media, video games and just the general violence that surrounds us. It has become really no big deal when someone dies; it’s just another typical everyday event. About a month ago my daughter mentioned they were learning about the Holocaust in school. They watched some kind of movie or documentary (not sure exactly what it was) and my daughter couldn’t believe … Continue reading →

I have been quite disturbed about something lately. It is the constant media coverage surrounding Charlie Sheen. As if this world doesn’t have enough disturbing things going on that we need to concern ourselves with the likes of Charlie. Apparently Mr. Sheen has also set the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to reach 1 million followers on Twitter. We seriously have 1 million people following this guy? I guess what mostly disturbs me about the situation is the attention being drawn to his questionable lifestyle and his crazy remarks. Teens are well aware of the influence he has … Continue reading →

Yesterday I blogged about my terrible morning and how I sent my youngest son off to school crying. It was helpful to receive some feedback that I am not alone. It was also helpful when later that morning I made a trip to the beauty salon. I find the beauty salon to be therapeutic. Of course, it helps that my hair stylist happens to be my friend and I have been going to her for nearly 17 years now. As soon as I walked in the door she knew something was wrong. I spilled it all out and guess what? … Continue reading →

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is many times not a difficult thing for parents to mete out. What can be more challenging is also giving teenagers their freedoms. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However some issues are non-negotiable and require firm rules. For instance rules should be established concerning a curfew, the ability to drive the family car or even in dating. In each family the logistics of those rules will vary but they should be established and then discussed. I will admit that I have no problem coming up … Continue reading →