Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 20

I Worried About My Last Child Being Lonely, He Wasn’t

When I do things, I like to do them really well. This is how I have become a world class worrier. Amateur worriers worry a few days or months in advance. I believe in rigorous training, so I pre-worry so I can dive into a tailspin when the timing is right.  

I have three children and therefore have provided myself enough organic worry content to last my lifetime. The first two (a girl and a boy) are 27 months apart or what normal people call two years apart. Then five years passed and the las...

If I Stopped Trying Would My ‘Friends’ Reach Out to Me?

I’m having a moment.

Today I was walking, listening to a book, and the character in it was talking about how in her 20’s she had this full life, friends that felt like family, a great boyfriend (that becomes her husband) and how it all just changed one day. She’s older at this point in the story, and reflecting back.

The character talked about how her friends decided to have kids, and move to the ‘burbs from the city, and how everything changed, even though they all promised that it wouldn...

Is Your Teen Worried About Leaving Their Dog Behind When They Go to College?

As any dog lover will tell you, the absolute best part of sharing your life with them is the unconditional love they give you. Indeed, recent studies suggest that having a dog is especially beneficial for adolescents, precisely for this reason.

Dr. Lisa Damour, psychologist and New York Times bestselling author, writes that

In the lives of teenagers, animals often play a special role. Indeed, pets provide comforts that seem to be tailor-made for the stresses of normal adolescent development.

A v...

Managing My Child’s Anxiety by Managing My Own

“I’m Okay. My location is 36.571312…” this automatic satellite text alerts my phone, waking me from an anxious sleep. Celebrating a milestone birthday, my son and his wife are climbing Mount Whitney, where three people passed away a few months earlier.

These programmed texts, with the global address numbers, are sent as they hike so their location can be established if something goes wrong. They have trained extensively and are well-prepared, but I worry. What else is new?

As I stare at m...

How To Raise Healthy Strivers in a Hyper-Competitive World

As back-to-school approaches, I’m feeling mixed emotions: sadness that summer is over, relief for the return of routine, excitement for the ways in which my kids will grow and learn – and cautiousness about the intense messages about achievement and success that my teens, who attend high-achieving schools, will inevitably face. 

They won’t be alone.  have estimated that 1 in 3 American adolescents – 14 million kids – feel an “excessive pressure to achieve.” These students are now o...

Celebrating My Teens Achievements Outside the Classroom Was a Game Changer for Our Family

It wasn’t very long into my teens’ high school years that I realized a few things. Not only did they have no interest in going to college (something their father and I always assumed they’d do because we did), they didn’t care about their grades, or schooling in general. 

I was frustrated. And to say we had some trying times during their high school years is an understatement, but we did the best we could. After I accepted the fact that they were fine with just passing and getting out of scho...

34 Favorite College Care Package Ideas for College Women (2024)

A care package is a welcome surprise for college students who have just moved to campus. We put together our favorite college care package ideas for college women with some true necessities and others that will make her smile.

We have you covered if you want college care package ideas for guys.

Note: We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through the links in this post.

College care package ideas for college women1. Open When Envelopes (Amazon)

Your daughte...

Dear Parents of College Freshmen: They Will Figure Out Where to Fill Their Water Bottle

When we stepped out of the elevator in my daughter’s dorm on move-in day, her younger sister dramatically pointed to a fixture on the wall.

“There! That’s where you will fill your water bottle!”

It had become a family joke over the course of the summer. I had joined a few college parent Facebook groups, and had learned that the parents had questions.

So. Many. Questions.

“What do students wear from the showers back to their dorm room?”

“What winter coat should I buy my student for...

Random Thoughts on Wedding Planning from Father of the Bride

The wedding planning begins

It begins. Oldest daughter got engaged one week ago and today was the first day of checking out “venues.” Wife and daughter have been perusing websites and scheduling appointments all week. The target date is about a year from now and they learned that venues are filling FAST so time to jump into action. Somehow I was roped into driving them around today.

Correction on saying “It begins.” Daughter has been looking at wedding stuff for about a year. She tried to ...

College Packing List: 22 Last-Minute Items NOT TO FORGET

Your teen may be nearly done packing for college with piles of their belongings growing higher every day. Before you load up the car, however, consider these last-minute items for your teen to make the transition to college life even smoother.

Moving into a college dorm is a memorable moment for families. (Credit: Harrington)

Note: We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through some of the links on this page.

Last-minute things for your college packin...