Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 307

Seasonal Affective Disorder Is A Common Concern for College Kids, Experts Say

As the days shorten and the temperature cools, limiting warmth and sunlight, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an ailment that affects many this time of year. A more intense and disruptive variety of “winter blues,” SAD is a “subset of a depressive disorder,” according to Jordan D. Barnard, licensed psychologist at the Pennsylvania State University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

SAD acts like depression in that the shift in mood caused by darker, colder days negatively impac...

4 Hilarious Strategies To Coerce A Teen Son’s Hug

My son was in first grade when he demanded I stop touching him at school pickup and drop-off. A public hug, it seems, was affecting his street cred with the playground population. I guess he had to make a choice between the mother who loved and cared for him for the last six years and a bunch of playground hoodlums who still ate things from their noses. I lost.

Over the years his resistance leaked into our behind-closed-doors life as well. And now I am being actively shunned by a 16-year-old...

My First Born Is In College And I Cherish The Moments When He’s Home

It has been a long four months away. My firstborn is home tonight from his first semester at college, and I can’t stop smiling. I sing a song as I gather up the dinner dishes in the sink, and I hear the washer groan from his weeks-long laundry finally being done. My son has opened and closed the refrigerator door enough times tonight that I think we’ll burn through a light bulb. “Mom, there’s so much good stuff in here!” he says, laughing. This is no accident, I’ve run to the store twice toda...

I Buy All the Family Holiday Gifts. Here’s What I Want This Year

Recently, my husband and I were discussing the holidays, specifically gift shopping. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “What should I get for your mother/father/sisters/assistant/kids/kids’ teachers/office Secret Santa/mail carrier?”

Him: “What do you want for Christmas?”

Ladies, you are the MVPs of holiday shopping. It’s hard work carrying the mental load of remembering sizes, preferences and what your teen said she had to have six months ago.

Guys, listen up: we appreciate the...

When Stress Leads to Anger in Teen Boys

A few weeks ago, at the end of a long day full of work, school, and after-school activities, my husband and I decided we’d lighten our load a bit by taking our two kids out for dinner at the local taco dive.

“Can I bring my laptop?” my seventh grader asked. “I want to keep working on my homework.”

“Absolutely,” I said. It was an unusual request for Lucas, who has ADHD. I was proud he was taking initiative, as he has always struggled to get work completed and turned in on time. He’d been a bit...

Grab Your Hankies, “Dear Evan Hansen” Is Slated To Come To The Big Screen

If you or anyone in your household has even a pinky finger on the pulse of the goings-on of Broadway, you’ve probably heard the buzz about Dear Evan Hansen. Last year, the show won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Lead Actor (Ben Platt), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Rachel Bay Jones).

The show has been heralded by many musical theater devotees as a life-changing experience (as verified by several of my musical theater-obsessed friends who’ve traveled to New York Ci...

The Secret to Not Losing It When Your College Kid Returns Home

Do you want to know the secret to not running away from your own home like a crazy person when your college kid returns? Whether it’s for a holiday break, summer vacation or because they withdrew (which let’s just say might have happened in my house), the secret is to collect Bonus Points.

Shhh….don’t tell anyone, but Bonus Points get me through the day, and you can get Bonus Points, too. Now, these aren’t points you get for clipping coupons or using Ebates. These are invisible points you giv...

Caring For Your Aging Parent: Finding Ways To Cope and Stay Positive

When Lisa, age 57, first noticed that her mother seemed confused, she assumed it was typical behavior from an 80-year-old. She continued to take it in stride when her mother tried to make a phone call using the TV remote. Lisa became somewhat concerned when her mother started sautéing onions in a pan and then walked outside to get the mail, forgetting the stove was on. When her mother began seeing her long-dead mother in bed with her, Lisa realized there was more to the picture than normal ag...

Does An August Birthday Increase The Odds of An ADHD Diagnosis?

Though it’s been seven years, I still vividly remember my son’s kindergarten holiday concert. It stands out in my memory because I remember thinking, “It’s only him. He’s the only one not singing, the only one bouncing, the only one who can’t control himself.” The teachers had stuck him in the back, probably to minimize disruption, but his little head was still easy to spot bouncing up and down behind the other kids.

A few years later, my son received an ADHD diagnosis. I remember the doctor...

When You Realize Your Daughter Is Going to Be Just Fine

Yesterday my daughter broke up with her first real boyfriend. I received a text early that morning telling me she thought she was done and was ready to move on. For almost a year this boy has been the center of her universe. I was only sort of shocked though, because my husband and I had seen the writing on the wall for a while now. I responded to her and told her that it was going to be ok but that she needed to talk to him face to face or at the very least have a phone conversation with him...