Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 317

Four Gap Year Facts Parents Need to Know

Your kid is proudly holding their college acceptance letter, and plans are beginning to take form for sending him off to college, finally! You’re more than ready to have him take flight and start his next chapter of education, and your new mantra for the next several months is basically “College or bust!” Now when can we start shopping for mattress pads and laundry baskets?!!

Now what if that same kid tells you he feels he’s just not ready to go to college right now, and wants to take a year...

Colleges Offer Free Condoms, Should the Overdose Reversal Drug Narcan® Be Next?

Walk around any college campus these days and you’d be hard pressed to not be able to find free condoms. They’re pretty much plentiful everywhere- strewn across tables in student health clinic waiting rooms, spilling out of giant fish bowls in dorm room common areas, and always stocked in campus restrooms and fitness center locker rooms.  Let’s just say if a student is struggling to find a free condom (or ten) on campus, than dare I say they should not be having sex in the first place.

But w...

Teens Telling You They’re Too Old for Halloween? 5 GOOD Things to Do Instead

One of the saddest days on my parenting journey so far was when my kids told me they were too old to trick or treat. It happened around age 14 or so, and that one, innocent little proclamation spoken to me by someone taller than me (HOW?), wounded me so deeply in my now broken Telltale Heart, I immediately responded with, “Umm, that’s not gonna work for me, so can you please put your Harry Potter cape back on and go get me some Reese’s Cups?”

I mean, why does nobody tell you when you’re snap...

Teens Need to Know That Failing is More Than OK, It’s Actually a Necessity

In 2009, Tiger Woods was on top of the sports world. His major tournament wins continued to stack up, record-setting lucrative sports endorsements added up, and his seemingly happy marriage with two children completed the perfect picture of success. There was no failing whatsoever in his world; it simply was not an option. And then Thanksgiving of that same year, Tiger Woods’ world came crashing down in a spectacular (and very public) fashion.

His marriage failed after serious adultery alleg...

My Varsity Athlete Got Cut From the Team – Now What?

This mom was fighting back tears as she was sharing the raw news that she had just received.

“He’s a senior. He has spent the last 6+ years of his life defining himself as a water polo player. Every summer he dedicated himself to playing Olympic Development Program (ODP) and last year he was MVP of the team. It just doesn’t make any sense. The only feedback he got from the coach was that he’s too small. Now what?”

The more she spoke, the greater my heart hurt for her. I could tell that even t...

Will My Kids Remember the Little Things I Do For Them?

Once I had kids I tried to plan something special on Saturdays. As a stay-at-home mom, it was fun to have an event to look forward to like a hike, lunch out or visiting family.

Now, as a working mom I look forward to this time even more. It has been, and always will be, a huge way I show my love to my kids. Making plans and trying to manufacture special memories feels like my taking my love and trying to hand it to them. It’s my way of letting them know how much I think about them during the...

The Only Way I’ll Survive The Teen Years Is To Grow With My Kids

My son rolls his eyes as I walk into our dark kitchen at 6am before school while he makes his breakfast. He greets me with a grunt after I ask him how he’s slept.

I grab his shoulders, stand on my tip toes to hug him and say, “Remember when you used up get so excited to wake up and you’d crawl in bed with me every morning and ask me one-hundred questions before I even opened my eyes?”

The silence and mutters he hands out after I ask him how he has slept the night before make me long for his c...

What This Mom Has Learned About Mothering Teenage Girls

I realize that being a teenage girl (because you never forget what that feels like) and mothering a teenage girl are two very separate things.

I somehow thought that because my experience with this still felt fresh (I’m beginning to think it always feels fresh because it’s so hellish), I’d be able to handle having a teenage girl with more grace than I currently am.

But that isn’t happening.

Sure, my experiences have come in handy during some tough times and I’ve been able to tell her about s...

How to Help When Your Kid is Struggling to Find a Job

You survived your teen’s standardized tests, you made it through the teenage years, you helped launch your son or daughter to the next phase of their education. Just when you thought you were heading to smoother waters, here comes – the job search. Whether it’s an internship, summer job or the first full-time job, this search process has its own set of challenges.

The journey to find a job and start a career is one your teen or young adult must embark upon him or herself. You are no longer in...

Here’s What Grown and Flown Parents Loved on Recommendation Sunday

Did you miss the last Recommendation Sunday, or just not have the time to go through the hundreds of fantastic ideas that Grown and Flown Parents FB Group members were gushing over?

Here are some of the top things that people were talking about:

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September 30, 2018

TV/Netflix/HBO/Movies – the new season has started and here are the shows that people are diving into: Manifest, The Good Place, Big Little Lie...