It’s Okay to Be Cool

“Please don’t do that,” famous words that come from my daughter’s mouth whenever I try to be cool or funny.  Or better yet, “Don’t ever do that again.” Despite acting horrified at my attempts to act much younger than I am, there is something that tells me she enjoys it.  Here’s why.  It’s okay when her friend’s parents act cool or goofy. When I question her about this, she says that it’s different.  It’s not her parents.  But if she thinks its okay for other adults to act that way, she must secretly enjoy it when I do. Actually, I … Continue reading

Not Mom of the Year

I have failed. I’m not going to be Mom of the Year again this year. Finally I am OK with that. When I was first divorced the guilt I had for tearing my child’s family apart made me too lenient. I always excused bad behavior, blamed it on the divorce, gave in and looked the other way. No more. Now that my daughter is a teenager it is more important than ever to be her Mom and not her friend. It is harder to be the bad guy now. The tears when she was 10 cleared much quicker than the … Continue reading

Spending Time With Your Teen

I don’t know if other parents feel the same way but as our children get older and become teens, it tends to become more difficult to spend quality time with them. It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with them. It’s just that life keeps us busy and my children are in this stage where their friends are their main priority. So as a parent I have tried really hard to make sure that we spend quality time together. I think as the parent of a teen you have to be willing to enter their world. When they … Continue reading