Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 28

We Spoke to Our College Son Once a Week and This Happened

Grown and Flown was where I first saw the advice about how often to communicate with my college freshman. It was 2018, and we were just about to send the guinea pig off to a university three hours away. Another milestone, for him and us. Another challenge we’d be learning to navigate alongside our test kid. This time, the pressure was on.

When he was two and we’d chosen the wrong daycare, we fixed it before he was old enough to remember. When he was four and we didn’t know what to feed him be...

26 Best Memorial Day Sales on College Must-Haves

Credit: Amazon

All that stuff kids need for college? It can get really expensive. That’s why it’s a great idea to take advantage of all the Memorial Day sales that are happening this weekend! From everyday necessities, to dorm-sized appliances, you can save a bundle on things your student needs for the next stage of their academic life.  

We know that parents are busy and don’t always have time to find the best Memorial Day deals, that’s why we did all the hard work for you. We found deal...

My Daughter’s First College Love: Have I Prepared Her?

Before a child heads out the door to move to college, a parent might take stock to make sure that they have parented adequately. It seems like there are so many boxes to check off: Items to order for the dorm, calendar arrangements for drop off and move in, and the ever-present hope we all have for our child to get the most out of their college experience. Try everything! Work hard! Get to know different people! Have fun!

Parents run the lists of college preparations through their minds dutif...

My Father Calls Me Every Day But Has Refused to Visit Me for More than a Decade

My father is going to India for three weeks. His last trip was to Spain; the time before that, he spent ten days in Morocco. He goes there yearly. The previous trip was to Turkey, and honestly, I can’t keep track of all the countries he’s visited over the last decade. 

I can tell you the exact last time he visited me, though. It’s been twelve years. He came to my daughter’s fourth birthday party. It was pouring and we had to shift the party from the back yard into the garage. That day he watc...

Sandwiched in the Middle: How is Anyone Expected to Survive this Place?

I am standing firmly on the bridge. 

Not approaching it, not seeing the end of it, but rather right smack in the middle of the bridge and it is agony. 

I don’t know when I first heard the phrase “Bridge Era” or “Sandwich Generation” or “Bridge Generation” or whatever it is, but I am here now. Camped out. 

My mom and son are both entering new phases. (Photo credit: Jyl Barlow)My mother and son are both weeks away from the next phase

Somehow, as life continues to offer these what do...

Mother of the Bride Versus the Wedding Planner: A Lesson in Letting Go

From the ecstatic moment of my daughter’s engagement to her college sweetheart in October of 2021, I had a precise vision of how the wedding planning would go. Since Sophie, my first born of four, had declared in this Grown and Flown piece from 10 years ago that I was her most valuable asset in college, I assumed that my “most valuable asset” (MVA) status would naturally transfer to Sophie’s wedding planning.

As Sophie’s MOM and MVA, I would of course be the person who would co-plan everythin...

I Felt Betrayed When My Daughter Wanted Someone Else to Plan Her Wedding

From the ecstatic moment of my daughter’s engagement to her college sweetheart in October of 2021, I had a precise vision of how the wedding planning would go. Since Sophie, my first born of four, had declared in this Grown and Flown piece from 10 years ago that I was her most valuable asset in college, I assumed that my “most valuable asset” (MVA) status would naturally transfer to Sophie’s wedding planning.

As Sophie’s MOM and MVA, I would of course be the person who would co-plan everythin...

Brotherly Bonding: How My College Sons Grew Close Again

The pictures on my phone of salt and pepper gnocchi and parmesan risotto brought me to tears. “We went to dinner tonight at an Italian restaurant near my campus,” my college freshman texted with the photos.

The “we” in the equation was my two sons, a year apart in school and studying at different universities in the same city. You might think it doesn’t sound unusual for two brothers to grab dinner together, but I’ve been praying for this moment.

Born less than two years apart, my sons wer...

Why I’ll Never Again Ask ‘Where Are You Going to College Next Year?’

For years, come spring, I’d excitedly ask the high school seniors I knew “So where are you headed to school next year?” I meant well – honestly, I thought each of these kids was awesome and was excited for whatever they had in store. But now that I’ve gone through college admissions with my first child and I’m almost-but-not-quite through it with my second, I’ve vowed never to ask again.

I don’t ask the teens, and I don’t ask the parents. If they have news and want to share, I will give them ...

18 Year Olds Can Do Lots of Things, Here are the 3 They Should Start With

We often talk about the new freedoms and responsibilities that await our teens when they turn 18. But there are 3 things that 18 year-olds absolutely must do when they come of age. 

Register to VoteComplete Legal FormsRegister for the Selective Service 18-year olds need to take care of several important things. (Shutterstock)Here are 3 things 18 year olds should do1. Register to Vote

Year after year young voters (18-29) cast ballots in lower numbers than their older co...