Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 321

Grown and Flown Fall Style: Navy from Head to Toe

Time to discuss monochromatic dressing- all in Navy blue – a style I have been exploring lately.

The other day I wore the J. Crew wide-leg cropped trousers that Pam mentioned in the last post and a $15 Everlane navy v-neck t-shirt to a meeting.

The New Mobile FAFSA App is Available on Your Phone Now

Good news, technology lovers. As of October 1, American parents and students will be able to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for the 2019-2010 school year via the new mobile FAFSA app.

The app, which completed beta testing this summer, is called myStudentAid, and it should streamline the application process—especially for this generation of students who have grown up using apps as tools. “So many of today’s high school kids do everything on their phones,” says Je...

I’m Trying Not To Influence My Teens’ High School Choices But It’s Hard

When I dropped my daughter off at cross-country practice, I paused to watch the high school marching band rehearse. As I watched the kids play their instruments and the color guard practice their routines, I was instantly transported to a time when I, too, twirled a flag in front of a frenzied Friday night crowd.

If I looked hard enough, I could see the way the lights danced on our sequined costumes and I could practically smell the autumn air on the nights when we’d compete against other hig...

5 Things This Teen Wishes Parents Knew About Social Media

Being a teenager in today’s world is, for lack of a better word, fast.

As a 15-year-old sophomore attending a fairly densely-populated school, I’d be willing to call myself at the very least familiar with the ins and outs of how young people interact with both school, and more importantly, each other on a day-to-day basis. As it is with the rest of the world, that interaction is deeply interwoven with the constant stream of information (and misinformation) that surges out of every phone and l...

Here are 7 Ways to Support Your Bisexual or Gay Teen

Sexuality is fluid and there is more than heterosexuality when it comes to falling in love. By default, we should consider that our kids may fall in love with someone of the same gender. They may fall in love with all genders—yes, gender goes beyond the binary of male and female, but we can talk about that another time. It would be nice if our kids didn’t feel like they had to come out to us, but most tweens and teenagers still feel nervous about speaking their truth to the ones they love the...

Parenting a Teen with an Anxiety Disorder is the Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

We knew our daughter struggled with some anxiety issues from a young age. But we had no idea how bad it could get—or how quickly.

Her anxiousness had always existed somewhat in the background, occasionally flaring up, but never an overriding concern. She was shy in new situations, which was perfectly normal in my book having been a shy child myself. She sometimes seemed to have some weird fears, but we were able to help her work through them.

Then, in high school, things spiraled down a steep...

Here Are 10 Things Your Teens Don’t Know How To Do

Last week, my son announced that he needed a wristwatch, so I bought him an inexpensive analog watch. Later, as we were sitting at lunch, he decided to open his new watch and try it on. He kept looking at it quizzically and turning it around and around in his hands until it finally dawned on me that he probably wanted to set the correct time and had no clue how to do it.

Taking the watch out of his hands I pulled out the crown (the knobby, twisty thing whose name I had to look up) and set the...

The One Thing Your College Student Would Love to Receive From You

“Mama, when you get a chance, can you send me a card?”

The question came during a fairly routine conversation with my daughter, a college sophomore majoring in theatre. In the midst of the usual back and forth texting about homework, auditions, RA duty and friends she slipped in this quiet question and it brought me up short.

When my daughter left for college a year ago, her entry was a little rocky as she navigated ever-forming and shifting groups of friends. There were some lonely nights, s...

This New Guide to Instagram Makes Parenting in the Social Media Age Easier

When my fifteen year old son came to me last year and told me he wanted to sign up for an Instagram account, I said yes immediately because I knew this moment was coming.

For several years before he decided he was ready to join social media, we talked almost daily about the effects of being responsible for an online profile. Because of my line of work as a social media manager, he was all too familiar with the time I committed to social media platforms and, since I see grown ups behave badly...

My Son Is a Sophomore And No, I’m Not Shoving College Down His Throat This Year

After having my first child I don’t even think we were home from the hospital when questions started pouring in about when we were going to have another.

I couldn’t even wrap my brain around nursing my first one much less thinking about having another child take over my body for almost 10 months. It was as if getting married and having a baby enters you into a race of “hurry up and do all the damn things now because you aren’t getting any younger.”

I wanted to be in the moment and enjoy him a...