Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 19

I Was Fine at College Drop-Off Until I Wasn’t

I impress myself with my calmness and my cheerfulness as we unload the bags and boxes and haul them up the stairwell. I usually wear my heart on my sleeve. I am Type A all the way, but on the day that I move my youngest child into college, I don’t shed a single tear. Not that I’d not cried on that campus before.

After proofing countless essays, offering up my credit card for a year’s worth of wine in application fees, listening in on Skyped interviews, trips to schools across the country, cou...

I Feel the Loss of Having a Mom Who Is Still Able to Mother Me

Parents…we worship them when we are little, we take them for granted as adolescents, and we ignore them or rebel from them as teens and young adults. Then there comes a day when you realize they were the wise ones and they loved you when you were difficult to love. It is all part of the process of growing up and becoming independent adults.

Just when you think you may have figured out the secrets to life, and your own children have matured into beautiful adults, a new phase begins. For me, th...

I Can’t Be Happy When My Son Is This Sad

Remember when your heart broke on a grade school afternoon drive home-when your kid shares, through tears, that some tragedy happened on the playground at lunch? And by tragedy, I mean someone beat them in tetherball. Or maybe they spilled their pretzels on the floor. Or maybe even something harder-they had a tough day with a friend.

I would do anything to have those cares-the worries that seemed huge, the crocodile tears that were unending, and the quick recovery that (almost) always happene...

It Is Messy Hard and Beautiful and It Will Fill You Up and Break Your Heart

It doesn’t matter if you are the most methodical, organized student of life, someone who prides herself on doing all the research: the pregnancy books, parenting blogs and LinkedIn searches. No one tells you that there isn’t an advice column or Google search that prepares you for the moment when you realize that you are a parent to your parent.

The “Sandwich Generation” is real. It is messy and hard and beautiful, and it will fill you up and break your heart in ways that you could never have...

28 Fun College Care Package Ideas (Under $20)

You’ve shopped, packed and had your tearful or non-tearful goodbyes. Everyone is beginning to adjust to the new normal. And, would’t now be a lovely time to send your kids a little something to remind them of home?

Nothing will make your first-year college student happier than a few wisely chosen treats to make them feel the love from home.

College care packages from home will remind your student they are not forgotten! (Shutterstock Rocketclips, Inc.)

Note: We are a reader-supported ...

Fun College Care Package Ideas (Under $20)

You’ve shopped, packed and had your tearful or non-tearful goodbyes. Everyone is beginning to adjust to the new normal. And, would’t now be a lovely time to send your kids a little something to remind them of home?

Nothing will make your first-year college student happier than a few wisely chosen treats to make them feel the love from home.

College care packages from home will remind your student they are not forgotten! (Shutterstock Rocketclips, Inc.)

Note: We are a reader-supported ...

23 Gifts for 18 Year Olds That They Actually Want

Credit: Amazon

When you’re looking for the best gifts for 18 year olds, you might have no idea what to purchase. There’s a lot of transition at this age: graduating high school, heading off to college, and maybe living away from home for the first time. So what can you get your 18 year old that they’ll actually love? There are plenty of great options. 

From practical items to things that are all over social media, we’ve put together a list of gift ideas for 18 year olds who have a wide var...

Don’t Tell Me How I Should Feel About College Drop Off

We just dropped our oldest off for freshman year of college. A day we have planned and planned for. The move-in could not have gone smoother. He is happy. His roommates are great. He is a student-athlete and his coach could not be nicer.

The athletic trainers, his resident advisor, his academic advisor all seem like a great fit. I am so happy for him. He did it. He set a goal and worked incredibly hard for it. He made it. These are all reminders that my brain is telling my heart. 

My heart...

28 Favorite College Care Package Ideas for Guys (2024)

As the parent of both a daughter and a son who are students, I can say without hesitation that it’s much harder to come up with college care package ideas for guys than for girls.

If you’ve struggled like me, walking past fuzzy socks, cute hair ties, and nail polish in frustration, here are some care package ideas that will make a young man smile (and hopefully call home!) with gratitude.

And, if you are looking for care package ideas for girls, here are our favorites.

Note: We are a reader-supp...

We Feared That Our Son Would Never Be Able to Live on His Own

When our children were born, we had hopes and dreams for the fantastic parents we would be and for the wonderful life our children would have. We had a huge wrench thrown onto our plans. The second of our four children was born with a genetic disease called Familial Dysautonomia, which changed our lives dramatically.

We hadn’t planned on learning about this rare, neurological disease and the medical care, feeding tube, therapists, and the huge disruption to our life with his typical older bro...