Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 312

Busting College Admissions Myths For Those With Learning Disabilities

“Wait – how do students with learning disabilities get into Columbia?”

This question frequently follows when I tell people who I work as a learning specialist at Columbia University’s disability services office. Underlying this question is one of many myths and misunderstandings about college admissions for students with learning disabilities and ADHD.

Though I don’t work with the admissions office at all in my job (another myth), I hear a number of things about admissions and college fit tha...

Three Things That are Different When Your Freshman Comes Home for Christmas

You made it through your college freshman’s first semester away at college! Congratulations! I bet you’ve been spending plenty of time making your home as “Christmas-y,” or as “Hanukkah-y” as it can get before they arrive home for holiday break. You’ve been decking the halls (or setting up the menorah), buying all of their favorite foods and treats, and making sure their bedrooms are clean and ready for their big arrival. You have visions of joyful sugar-plum filled evenings just hanging out...

The 21 Things This College Mom Wants For Christmas

I’m the mom of a college student, and since I am, thankfully, still in possession of my two front teeth, all I want for Christmas these days pretty much comes down to a few simple wishes.

Of course I know I have to check my expectations at the (Christmas-wreathed) door. Of course I know my college student will have her own ideas about what she wants her holiday to look like. Of course I know the Norman Rockwell-esque vision I have dancing in my head is much more likely to end up looking like...

This Was Definitely Not the Plan for My College Daughter. What Happens Now?

Let’s just say she spent the summer soiling the nest really well. She could win an award for making absolutely sure we counted down the days, and the seconds, until it would be time for her to leave. She made it easy for me not to spend weeks or months crying in anticipation of her departure. (I got my crying in junior year, don’t worry!)

I spent the summer getting every possible item she would need for her dorm, packed the car like a boss, and made sure everyone in the family had college log...

When Your Teen Has Crippling Anxiety

I sit with my neighbors, drinking wine.

“Amanda is at State U. She’s so happy there. She joined a sorority. And poor girl, she’s been sick three times with colds just since September, all those kids living in the dorm sharing germs.”

It’s the same State U where my husband went. The State U whose colors festoon our neighborhood before every football game, even though we’re two hours away by car.

“Parker doesn’t miss me, but he misses the dog!”

Everyone laughs.

I paint on a smile. I pretend it’...

Nearly Half of College Students Surveyed Aren’t Sure They Can Spot Fake News

For those of us who were raised during the era of the morning paper and 6:00pm news on a whopping three TV stations, it’s strange to think about how young people these days are consuming news. What was once half-hour dip into the day’s headlines is now a near-constant attempt not to drown. What was once a sip of water is now a firehose—and not all of it is safe for drinking.

We all feel the effects of being bombarded 24/7 with news, op-eds, commentary on news and op-eds, and commentary on tha...

When Her College Kid Was Sick, This Mom Sent Chicken Soup to NYC With Love

You do your best for 18 years and then pack him up and off he goes to college. At home, you learn how to fit back into your own life which is still full, but now of course, minus one. After a few weeks, the drama wears off and friends stop asking how your child is doing and how you’re doing, and you’re left with a new normal that with time becomes, well, normal.

Of course, you’re still a phone call, text or plane ride away and would give the shirt off your back if you needed to, assuming that...

Sexuality and Gender Identity Terms That Every Parent Should Know

Sometimes trying to understand teenagers is like trying to understand a foreign language. There is a lot of head nodding and grabbing onto phrases that sound vaguely recognizable but you’re not sure, so you refrain from using them. Understanding your teenager’s language for describing sexuality and gender identity can add to the confusion. I won’t pretend to tell you I know what “lit” means, but I can help you understand the diverse terms in the LGBTQ rainbow—words your kids likely already kn...

A Former Stay-At-Home Dad Reflects On His Hilarious College Goodbye Moment

I met Greg at the gym nearly eighteen years ago as we lifted twenty-pound weights: our one-year-old daughters. For this was The Little Gym, and we were new stay-at-home dads taking a mom-dominated class for parents and toddlers. We became fast friends when one of Greg’s earliest stories showed me his integrity. He calmly explained that he regularly drives for twenty hours with his in-laws for family vacations to Florida. With no complaint.

Greg and I have had the luxury of leading parallel li...

Holiday 2018: Secret Santa Gifts Under $15 That Teens Will Love

The holiday season is a chaotic dash to the present buying finish line. It seems like my list grows longer and longer every year and by the time the holidays pass, I’m exhausted. Even though I try to start my shopping early, inevitably, I’m trolling the aisles of Target on December 24th, looking for Secret Santa gifts, stocking stuffers and the last-minute presents that I know my teens would love (read: the gifts I didn’t know they wanted until they said something on December 23.)

When you ha...