Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 346

This Teen And Her Texts Is All Of Our Teens Suffering From “Senioritis”

I knew we were in trouble when at the beginning of senior year, my daughter Sarah uttered, “Mom, I am so done with high school.” I kept my mouth shut, but all I was thinking was is this senioritis already? The year hasn’t even started yet! I gave her some encouragement and off she went for the first day of senior year. Thankfully, she held it together pretty well for eight months.

Our first indication that senioritis had not only returned but truly set in for good was an email we received whe...

Moms of Graduates, Here’s The Commencement Speech You Really Need

I do not know why Commencement speakers bother giving speeches to the graduates because the the graduates are mostly not listening. The Young Adults Formerly Known As Our Children arrive at this day, and at the stage, proud, and celebratory, relieved and optimistic.  They are deserving and pleased, as they should be, and the focus is on them, which is also, in their opinion, how it should be.

And while the grads are thrilled if it’s a big-name speaker at the podium, someone famous they can br...

Here Are 10 Ways For Tired Moms of Teens To Find Their Energy Again

I have seen many posts out there about how tired moms are and I felt the urge to write about self-care. This is not me giving you advice while standing on a pedestal. This is me saying I get it, I’ve been there. Let me share with you what I have done that has helped me feel less tired, but also what I’m still working on today. This is me letting you off the hook because as moms, we rarely do this for ourselves.

Here are the top 10 ways that help me to become less tired.

1). Saying NO.

Yes, an...

Style at Grown and Flown: The 3 Summer Dresses You Need to Be the Coolest Mom Right Now

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Here’s my son Josh in impeccable style at graduation last weekend – and the photo actually got picked up by several of the local newspapers!

Over the past few years, whenever I would let myself daydream about my youngest son’s graduation at The Cistern Yard at the College of Charleston, I pictured myself flashing a lot of leg in an elegant above-the-knee white dress with super high heels. But then reality sunk in – my legs are not what they...

This High School Teacher’s Music Videos Make Teens Feel Like They Belong

When Joseph Moody had a discussion about dance crazes with the Juniors in his Sociology class three years ago, he had no way of knowing just how much the conversation would change all of their lives. “We got to talking about dance crazes and I realized the kids knew current dances but they didn’t know the old ones like The Hustle and The Charleston.” As the discussion unfolded, Moody challenged his students to go home and research dance crazes across the 20th century.

“I told them jokingly th...

Is It Okay to Track Your Teens? This Mom Says Absolutely

I’m going to track my teens and young adult children until they no longer allow it. When they ask me to stop,  I will.

In the meantime, I use the Find My Friends app with my children’s permission to occasionally find them. They are okay with it because they know that in a world gone mad it gives me slight, if only momentary, peace of mind. I know that control is illusory and that anything can happen in a split second, but knowing that my kids are where they need to be, helps.

When my youngest...

Here’s What Happened When I Decided to Make New Mom Friends

Wednesday, 10:30pm….

I’ve just returned from an absolutely fantastic evening with 12 other women.

I’d never laid eyes on any of them, but one, before tonight.

This is a group of women brought together by the fact we are moms of older teens, most of whom are in college, or about to go. As we talked (sometimes participating in two or more conversations at once), we found some of the most amazing coincidences, people and places in common, and all-around interesting women in each other.

At the di...

Take the Long Way Home and 10 Other Ways To Bond With Your Teen

Our teens pull away and no longer want to share as much as themselves with us. It’s normal and natural but that doesn’t make it any less painful for parents who still long to bond with their children.

The teen years are a time when we want in on their lives more than ever before, and we realize very quickly the more we request to do things like sit down and chat so we get a peek into their world, the harder it can become for them to let us in. I know my teenage son feels like this is too much...

Here’s How You Can Help Teens When They Age Out of Foster Care

Constance Iannetta still remembers the care package a caseworker gave her as she was getting ready to start college. It was a large hamper filled with dorm room essentials: extra-long twin sheets, a shower caddy, toiletries, and gift cards to Target and the local grocery store.

As a child who was aging out of the foster care system, Iannetta didn’t have the family support that so many college-bound high school graduates take for granted.

“That gift not only gave me some essentials, but it mad...

My Friends Are Reeling From The Sex Advice I Gave My Teen

I knew this day would come as I had been warned by those who had gone before me.

He’s going to ask someday.

She’s going to have questions.

You need to get your story straight.

You have to be *prepared* because you’ll be caught with your pants down when your kids ask about the specifics of sex.

And, in a dark car, on the way home from dinner, it happened: my son and I had a whopper of a conversation.

While I’ve mostly recovered from the trauma, my friends are still reeling from the advice I ga...