Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 328

Our Teens Need to Know That Drunk Driving Can Have Horrible Consequences

“I can’t believe you walked away from that! Was anyone else in the car with you?” I still remember being asked this question even though it’s been over 30 years and I still remember thinking someone was there and looking out for me.

After a night out with friends I was headed home. My whole life ahead of me…

As I was driving alone on a two lane road, I saw a car’s headlights coming straight toward me. In. My. Lane. It was swerving but headed right at me.  The only place I could go was to my r...

Your Teen Is Going To College, Mine Is Going To Wilderness Therapy

“I don’t know what to tell people when they ask how my son is doing.”

“I just tell them that instead of working on his academic intelligence he’s working on his ‘emotional intelligence.’”

The above is an excerpt from a closed Facebook group exchange between parents whose children, instead of having the “normal” high school or college experience, are instead enrolled at or are heading off to therapeutic treatment programs ranging from wilderness therapy, to residential treatment centers to the...

5 Pieces of Advice to the Class of 2022 From A College President

Dear Class of 2022:

Welcome to college. The next chapter of your education story will be very different from all those that came before. College will present you with a rich and expansive range of opportunities. The next few weeks and months will be full of firsts – some intriguing, some a bit daunting, and almost all exciting. As you start your college experience, I want to offer some advice from a college president.

Let me begin with an observation — college experiences vary tremendously. E...

How Far Would You Go To Support Your Kid’s Dreams?

One day years ago as I was visiting my son’s elementary school, I noticed every student had a picture on their locker of what they wanted to be when they grew up. The girls varied mostly between veterinarians, pop stars and dancers, but almost all the boys wanted to be NFL players. I chuckled since no NFL players have ever come from our town (It’s true, I looked it up).

My son was seven at the time and also wanted to be in the NFL. He played in the youth league but it was clear he wouldn’t la...

How to Get Your Teenager to Use an Alarm Clock in 5 Easy Steps

I’m convinced there are some hidden evil forces behind the fact that most high schools actually start in the middle of the night. Or in the least, bus service to taxi teens to high school starts in the middle of the night. Why this is still the case- even after study after study about the nocturnal body clocks of adolescents continues to prove that we’ve had elementary and high school school start times conversely wrong for decades, is beyond me.

Diehards will claim it’s all about the abunda...

9 Truths About Living With A Teenage Daughter

When you have a teenage daughter there are days when you wonder how you are going to get through it all without the help of an entire community and the contents of the ice cream section at the grocery store.

But you will.

When many of us find out we will be the parent of a daughter, we tend to envision a bright, shiny picture filled with sweet talk and adoring eyes.

But that’s not how it goes down. Like, at all. Here are 9 truths moms of teen girls realize along the way.

1. Never assume they...

We Survived the First Year of High School And You Will Too

Last year as my twins finished sixth grade, my anxiety began to surface. All summer long, I worried about their impending transition to the junior/senior high school for seventh through twelfth graders.

As August approached, my fears grew more intense as I thought of all the unanswered “what if” questions that rattled through my mind.

How would they handle riding the bus with twelfth graders?

How would they navigate the stress of a rotating schedule and a grueling course load with six differe...

Great Kid with Average Grades? Don’t Worry And Here’s Why

I have been through the college application process with each of my three oldest kids. Between them, they have 15 college acceptances. In fact, each of my kids was accepted to every single school where they applied. Those colleges ran the gamut from flagship campuses of big state schools to small private colleges.

To be fair, while some of the colleges were considered highly selective, none of the schools were Ivy League-caliber. Even so, 15 acceptance letters is pretty good, and you might be...

The Secret Reason Why I Will Always Drive My Teens To School

Some of my most poignant childhood moments were perched upon the green vinyl seats of a big yellow bus.

But they won’t be for my kids.

In our previous homes, I walked or biked my boys to school everyday, the school bus wasn’t even an option. However, our latest move dropped us in a small city in cornfield country. At first, I held off signing them up for the school bus, because our first home was a temporary rental until we bought a house. At the time, we all were dealing with adjustment issu...

My Boy Has Grown Into A Man I No Longer Recognize

I am engrossed in soapy dishes at the sink, my back is turned from the rest of the quiet house when I think I hear something, someone talking. Did I leave the TV on upstairs I wonder? I pause, my hands hover above water and I shake off a little uncertain fear inside my stomach. Halted in mid-air, I listen.

But, it’s quiet again.

I shake my head, shrug and hit the suds once more scrubbing a pan with vigor.

“Mom, where did you put my new jeans?” says a deep voice directly behind me.

I nearly pa...