Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 291

“You’re Good Enough,” My Dad Said. “Trust Me.”

At thirteen, I was into Carly Simon, Charlie’s Angels, and Minute Rice with butter and salt. I didn’t have a world-view or my own nonprofit, but my teachers liked me and I didn’t lie that much to my parents. By fifteen, I had fallen into a groove—and not a good one.

Sophomore year started okay. I had landed a four-dollar-an-hour gig at Villanova Pizza, giving me access to free calzones and a college freshman named Matt who was deadly cute but very short, a weakness I thought gave me, and my b...

Creating a Balanced College List: 6 Ways Parents Can Help Their Teens

“It’s all in the toss,” my tennis instructor said as we practiced our serves.   If the toss is too high, you will have a hard time making contact.  If it is too low, you will not have enough time to reach all the way back and your serve will be weak.  If you throw it too far off-center, your chance of getting it in is greatly reduced.

As I drove home from my lesson, I started thinking how much the toss in tennis is like creating a college list as part of the application process.  If you aim t...

Explaining To Your Kids How The College Experience Changes You

It’s been almost 23 years since I’ve been a college student. In the time that’s passed I’ve changed quite a bit.

I’ve aged two decades, my style has been reinvented hundreds of times, I’ve developed mom-brain, I need nine hours of sleep a night, and get really excited about healthy Crock-Pot recipes. I love my life and make no apologies for what I find exhilarating now.

The thought of being up all night with the smell of stale beer in the air (and all over sticky floors) and sleeping wherever...

An Insurance Expert Gives Parents Tips On Car Insurance for Teens

As the time has approached for our son to learn to drive, I have grown more confident in his ability to learn safe driving skills because I know my husband and I don’t drive like maniacs. We have spent months drilling our son on everything from right of way to parallel parking. We even drove him to Crazytown by grilling him about every road sign we saw on a recent trip to our local ski mountain. And yes, he rolled his eyes when I asked him what the giant red octagon sign meant.

Even though we...

Not Sure How To Pick A College Meal Plan? G&F Parents Offer These Tips

When I was a college freshman, my roommates and I were in the late night dining hall grabbing snacks one night just before finals. As I stood in line to swipe my college ID and pay for my chili fries and Diet Coke, I saw a guy nonchalantly lugging four huge jugs of processed cheese spread under both of his arms a few people ahead of me. Curious as to why anyone would need that much spreadable cheese, I listened as he told the cashier that he was trying to use up his meal plan money before we...

Hookup Culture? College is Full Of Decent Young Men, Really

I see you over there, Moms of high school daughters who are about to graduate and embark on their
college experiences. It’s a thrilling feeling, but I can also sense your apprehension and your fears, because I was you, just a few, short years ago.

I’d find myself sitting down, or driving in the car, or taking a walk with my daughter and repeatedly talking about the “dangers” of college social life, of drinking too much, and of making bad decisions. I wanted to gently and carefully caution and...

What Happened To The Sisterhood Of Mothers?

Last month, my 12th grade daughter was denied acceptance to the college of her dreams. It was shattering, and as a writer I did what I do during emotional times. I wrote and subsequently published the details of her experience.

I imagined that moms everywhere would empathize with my story after being there themselves or would sympathize if they hadn’t. I never dreamed that moms would turn my painful story into an opportunity to post hurtful comments and judge me as a mom and as a person (real...

Colleges Are Teaching Students How to Drink Responsibly. Why This is a Good Thing

My son is a college junior and dormitory resident assistant. Periodically, he is required to host and teach educational forums and events for the freshman residents on his floor. He recently shared on social media pictures of his latest event, which was him teaching and providing resources on how to drink safely and responsibly. I gasped when I saw this post. My son is literally teaching underage students how to drink? I assumed when and if the university housing department sees this, surely...

20 Songs From The ‘80s and ‘90s We Still Need In Our Lives Today

The other day I felt glorious: the sun was out, my son was driving me around, and when our favorite radio station started playing The Spice Girls, Wannabe, and my beloved son turned it up, I couldn’t stop my body from moving even though it was killing him softly.

I mean, he tried many, many times and I could tell he regretted his decision but his wanting to hear that beat trumped his decision to turn it off so his mom could stop humiliating him because it’s that good– even to someone who was...

How to Appeal a Financial Aid Award When Your Family Needs More Money

It’s spring of senior year and your daughter has just received the best news of her life. “Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that…” You see the biggest smile on her face, followed by tears of joy as she learns she has just been admitted to the school of her dreams. As you look at page two of her letter you feel like crying too, but for completely different reasons. The financial aid award isn’t close to what you will need to make her dream school affordable.

The one remedy still o...