Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 308

New Study: Use of Opioids for Wisdom Tooth Removal Pain Poses Risk

Millions of healthy adolescents and young adults have their wisdom teeth pulled every year. Two of my three children had their impacted wisdom teeth extracted and undoubtedly the third will have his out when the time is right. In fact, wisdom tooth extraction is so common that it’s practically become a rite of passage for teens and young adults in this country. And oral surgeons often prescribe serious medication to treat the pain associated with those extractions and they prescribe that medi...

The One Small Thing My Son Does Every Day That Means So Much

My son just turned 15 and can be loud and selfish like all teens can be. He struggles with showing emotion and is drawn to big, muscular men who, to him, embody what he should be – tough, masculine, show no emotion. I know him well enough to see he doesn’t think he is allowed to have any soft edges, make mistakes, or appear to be vulnerable.

He feels like it’s not okay to show emotion. He struggles with showing compassion.

His father and I recognized this in him when he was 11 and he changed...

I’m Not As Smart As Google When It Comes To My Daughter’s Hair Care

“NO! Don’t touch my hair!” screamed Maya, my fourteen-year-old daughter.

“Uff!”  I said teeth clenched, in the tone of an exasperated mom, waving the hair brush threateningly in the air, “You NEED to brush your hair, beta, to get rid of the tangles. Let me do it for you.” Her frizzy mane looked a bit unruly and needed some motherly love I opined.

“Brushing does not help mom! It makes my hair frizzier,” she retorted, tilting her head away from me.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Says who?”

An answer...

The Latest Popular Young Adult Novels: A Guide for Parents

If you loved the Hunger Games series, as much as I did, you may need to grab a cup of coffee and sit down. According to Ridgefield, New Jersey High School Reading and Literature teacher, Judith Silver, The Hunger Games and Twilight series are out. Our teens have moved on. Rest assured, many new young adult novels have emerged that challenge both the heart and mind, while helping our teens expand their views on society.

Here are some up and coming YA books that may have already caught your tee...

A College Freshman Discusses The Unexpected Reality of Being Homesick

When Michael Santos, 18, received his acceptance letter to Temple University, he was thrilled. He was rounding out senior year filled with competitive running successes, a robust social life and a large supportive family eager to support him in his journey to college.

And he couldn’t wait to move into his dorm.

“I thought I’d get to college and my life would look the same as it did in high school. I thought I’d hit the ground running and make friends quickly,” Santos told Grown and Flown.

But...

This Is The Honest Holiday Letter We All Really Want To Receive

It’s early December.

Winter is coming.

And so are those holiday letters that we all have a Love/Hate relationship with.

We love them for the newsy updates from faraway friends who are not on social media – if you actually have any of those left. We love them for the clever photos, the beautiful backgrounds, the cute family pets, and the chance to feel that heartfelt connection with so many friends and extended family members.

We wish everyone was this honest at the holidays.

Yet, we hate them...

Raising Good Humans Is More Important Than Nagging My Teens

“Why are you playing video games when you have homework?”

“Feed the dog, please.”

“Did you shower today?”

“Pick up your socks.”

Far too often, this is my interaction with my teen. Last night, we had a particularly tense dinner table conversation where I got on his case about not signing up for an extracurricular activity, and he declared that he’d never sign up for any school sport or club, period!

Raising good humans is more important than making my teen do chores.

We both carried that tensi...

After Its Creator’s Death, What a Generation Learned From SpongeBob

“With the death of SpongeBob’s creator, it appears the Krabby Patty recipe will forever remain a secret.” Jon and Kento

And so, an entire generation of Millennials and their parents mourn the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the quirky Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Mr. Hillenburg, who was a marine biologist turned animator, died on November 25, 2018 at the age of 57 of ALS.

Life lessons from SpongeBob

The show premiered in 1999 and an entire generation was raised on...

Growing Paperwhites At Christmas Reminds Me Of When I Was In College

Each November, I lift brown bulbs from a mesh bag, dust off papery skins, and place the ugly lumps in a glass bowls filled with pebbles. Given sufficient light and water, these inauspicious items will produce lovely flowers in a few weeks. And I mark another year.

My mother’s emerald thumb found her planting pansies each spring. In autumn, she massed chrysanthemums on the brick front steps. Each winter, she coaxed paper whites, Amaryllis bulbs and Christmas cactuses into profuse displays.

Gar...

Seven Things This Daughter Wants Her Parents To Know About Saying Goodbye

We’re all stepping off into a brand new season of life. Leaving two kids behind in the USA isn’t easy, and I understand that. But please know that while you’re busy spending these last few months cramming us full of all the knowledge that we need to know for the rest of our lives… there are things we want you to know too.

1: I’m not leaving forever.

It’s easy to feel like that, with all the talk about colleges and apartments, careers and “emergency numbers”. All the talk about keeping in cont...