Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 302

We Don’t Grow Out Of Wanting To Be Taken Care Of And There’s Nothing Wrong With That

One day you are bending over the dishwasher putting away the dishes and suddenly you remember that you have to be up for an early appointment the next morning and are wondering where the hell the Tylenol is because you have a screaming headache.

You find said Tylenol, only no you didn’t, because someone else took the last of it and left the empty bottle there for you to throw away and you wonder, Will anyone ever take care of me again?

If you’ve ever wondered if you’ll be taken care of again,...

Saying Goodbye Is Easy. It’s the 24 Hours Afterward That Are Challenging

I have nailed the goodbye.

After just one college semester in the books, I have the goodbye down. I help load the car, give her a big hug and smile, remind her to drive safely and then wave until her car leaves the driveway.

No, the goodbye is easy. It’s the 24 hours after the goodbye — that’s the real challenge.

Based on her two quick visits home during fall semester, here is how I predict it will go for me in January:

Well, that wasn’t so hard. I’m getting really great at goodbyes. Oh, shoo...

Four Tips For Helping Your Teen Transition to the Skilled Work Force

Just like there isn’t a manual when we bring our bundle of joy home from the hospital, there isn’t a manual on how to guide a new high school graduate. I was expecting my son’s first day of work to be like his first day of young 5’s. I was anxiously waiting at home for his car to pull into the driveway, for him to bop in with a smile and say he had the greatest day ever. Instead, he walked in, gave a groan, fell on the cool tiled kitchen floor and took a nap.

Six days after graduation, our so...

When Your Teen Says, “Mom, I Don’t Want To Go Back To College.”

You survived having your son or daughter home for a few weeks of vacation and have been planning to pack up the car and drive them back to college for the next semester soon. Let’s face it, they somehow have accumulated much more stuff than they had when they arrived home. How is that even possible?

As long as they leave the new kitten or puppy (that you keep trying to convince yourself you didn’t get to replace them), that’s fine. Tarzan stays.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, your colleg...

Grown and Flown: 12 Wonderful Things in 12 Months of 2018

We hope you think of this month-by-month look back at 2018 as a celebration of our incredible community. Not one milestone or award would have been possible without our readers, our wonderful writers and amazing team.

2108 Year in Review

In January, and each month since, the fantastic moderators of our Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group worked night and day, literally, to help keep the group as a supportive place for parents. Great thanks to Lisa Singelyn, Dee Dee Becker, Carolyn Brown, M...

College Kids Say We Should Do These Things Differently In The New Year

The start of a new year gets many of us into a reflective mood, thinking about ways we can improve our lives. The holidays leave some of us wanting to lose a couple of pounds, get more organized, read more books and watch less Housewives.

But I’ve noticed over the past several years when I mention New Year’s resolutions to my kids, they just shrug and act like that’s something only “old people” do – right along with having actual conversations on the phone and using a top sheet on the bed.

Fr...

10 Things That Helped This Mom When Her Son Was Depressed

Earlier this year I wrote a post about my son’s journey with depression – “Mom, Can We Talk?” He’d been suffering for a while-alone and in silence-with depression. One night he finally found the words to tell us.  Since that night, so much has happened–it’s amazing what can happen when you find the courage and the words to open up to those who love you. 

We spoke out because we thought that talking openly about our experience might help someone else who was struggling and because there is sti...

A Common Mistake Put My Daughter’s College Application In Jeopardy

“Mom, I think there is something wrong with my application.”

I heard the terror in my daughter’s voice as she walked into my bedroom. I looked up from my TV and placed my steaming mug of green tea onto my night table.

She was shaking as she showed me her phone screen.

There was a red “X” next to the line that read “Guidance Counselor Early Decision Agreement.”

“What is that?” I asked her.

“I don’t know,” she wailed at me.

An email that went to a junk folder put my daughter’s college applicati...

Practical “Open When” Envelopes For Moms and Dads of College Kids

Last summer I’ll admit I got Pinterest envy and made an armload of Open When envelopes for my daughter. Open When You’re Stressed. Open When You Need Pizza. Open When You Have a Wardrobe Malfunction. I lovingly filled each envelope with tchotchkes from CVS and Dollar Tree, and a Pizza Hut gift card because that’s the only pizza place in her college town. I boxed them up and left them for her on her bed at college drop-off and couldn’t wait to get texts from her as she opened them throughout t...

My Daughter Was Rejected From The College of Her Dreams

Nothing has made me prouder than when my daughter announced to me this fall that she intended to apply “Early Decision” to the college of her dreams. On a good day, it takes her an hour to decide whether to wear sneakers or Uggs or whether to put cream cheese or butter on her bagel. So making this decision was an enormous feat.

It’s an achievement for any high school senior, but somehow for her it seemed even bigger. Maybe because she’s my daughter? Maybe because after two years of hearing ab...