Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 340
June 8, 2018
Why Parents Need To Run Away From Home Once In A While
It took twenty years, but my husband and I finally started taking time for ourselves. Devoid of ideas on how to celebrate our platinum anniversary, and lacking the funds to buy each other anything platinum, we decided the perfect gift to each other would be a weekend away.
The logistics of planning a weekend away were almost enough to make us give up the plan. Having three kids in numerous activities, one being just a toddler who needed 24/7 supervision, securing childcare was our first hurdl...
Parents, Stop Talking So Much. Just Stop.
Sometimes parents talk too much.
Before you get too insulted, please understand, I also talk too much.
We had a recent incident with my teenage son, something that required a serious “talk.” My husband and I sat down with him, in the living room on a Sunday afternoon. I thought it was a good talk. I was proud of my husband (his dad) who was so genuine and honest about his concerns. I was really feeling so good about “The Talk.”
Afterwards, when my son had escaped to a far corner of the house,...
June 7, 2018
How to Help Your Teen Through the Four Most Stressful Moments of Freshman Year
The timing of stressors and student needs vary as much as students themselves. However, I’ve learned in my 15-plus years working in higher education that there are some points throughout the academic year that stand out as particularly troublesome for first-year students. Learn here about these hotspots, so you can be prepared to offer support and guidance.
About a quarter way into their first semester
What happens then? The first big round of tests and papers! And they often happen in a clus...
I Thought it Would Take Longer For My Kids to Leave Home
She did it. My newly minted college graduate got the job she’s been looking for, less than a month after finishing school. It’s in her field, and includes responsibilities other than getting coffee for the rest of the office. I should be patting myself on the back for my successful parenting skills at this point, but somehow, that sense of self-congratulation seems lost amidst the swirl of conflicting emotions, with an inexplicable sense of loss rising to the top.
I made it through her gradua...
Have a Teen Looking at a Vocational or Trade School? Here’s What You Need to Know
First of all, kudos to you and your young adult for both recognizing the dire need this country is currently having for a skilled labor force, and how a four-year college degree simply isn’t the only path to financial stability and success.
A new Bureau of Labor Statistics report states that one third of all new jobs through 2022 will be in one of three skilled labor forces: healthcare, construction, and personal care. Additionally, it’s estimated there are approximately 33 million jobs in Am...
Parents, Please Stop Buying Fast New Sports Cars For Your Teen Drivers
102 miles per hour.
That’s how fast an 18-year-old driver was going when he hit and killed a 24-year-old mother and her 21-month old daughter last week in Tampa, Florida. Mom and toddler were out for a morning walk along scenic Bayshore Boulevard, a pedestrian friendly stretch of sidewalk that runs along old Tampa Bay, and is frequented by hundreds of walkers and runners on a daily basis.
102 miles per hour.
According to its “black box,” on a clear, warm summer morning last week, a black 2018...
Grown and Flown Move in Moms: 5 Ways to Help
Heading off to college is expensive and daunting for anyone. But what if you are the first person in your family to go to college? And what if you’re already working multiple jobs to pay for tuition, room, board and books?
Families spend as much as $1000 when they outfit their kids for their new dorm rooms. But as a first gen kid, how do you know what to buy? And how can you afford everything you need if money is tight?
This is where Grown and Flown Parents wanted to help make a difference.
W...
No One Tells You How Hard It Will Be To Drive Away From Drop Off Day
“So, has is sunk in yet…you know that I’m not there?” my eldest son asked after the first week of college classes, “Do you miss me?”
“Oh, honey, we miss you soooo much!” I answered immediately. “Leaving you at school that day was harder even than the first day I had to leave you at day care so many years ago!” I said, holding back my tears. “I knew you’d have to do everything on your own and it was so hard to say goodbye and walk off.”
A few weeks earlier, my husband and I, along with our you...
Deja Vu: When Your Child Goes To Your Alma Mater
“You can’t go home again” goes the old adage. And intellectually we all know that is true. Things change, people move or pass away, buildings are torn down and new ones rise in their place, old friends make new friends, commonalities that brought us together don’t apply anymore. But nostalgia is a powerful force and for many of us nothing brings it on in waves more than returning to our college campus.
We arrive for reunions at a beloved alma mater and, after the small talk and the photos of...
Accepting Failure Is The Best Lesson Your Teen Will Ever Learn
It’s a hot topic among parents today, how good our kids are at things. Whether it’s who made the honor roll, who scored the winning point or who won what award, having kids who are high-achievers makes us proud. And it should. But is having to be the best good for our kids?
“What did you fail at today?” I heard this quote from Sara Blakely, mother of four and the billionaire entrepreneur behind the Spanx brand. She was taught as a child that failure was good. When things she tried didn’t go a...
