Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 376
October 26, 2017
Here are the 5 Types of New Drivers. Which One is Your Kid?
Driving is a rite of passage for most of our children which we parents simultaneously look forward to and dread. While driving enables our kids to become more independent, sitting in the passenger seat with new drivers is a special sort of parenting hell experience that’s hard to put into words.
After over a decade of observing beginner drivers, including six of our own, we’ve identified five specific types:
5 Types of New DriversThe Reluctant Driver
The reluctant driver is not anxious to...
My Kids’ Rooms Are Not the Saddest Rooms in the House
When our two kids went off to college, I didn’t transform their bedrooms into a man cave for my husband or the office I always dreamed of. I left like them perfectly intact, with the exception of dirty clothes on the floor, like shrines for when they’d return home for the holidays.
Each time I went upstairs and walked past the startlingly immaculate and silent kid’s rooms I ached a little. Yet, that wasn’t the toughest room for me.
I felt sad about my kitchen.
It was pale yellow and faced a...
I Just Have One Question, Where Are All the Plumbers?
Last week it was “Senior Night” at my son’s regional cross country meet. Before the girls and boys races began, every senior from participating schools lined up with their parents and were then introduced and thanked for their athletic participation. Each senior also received a hearty applause and well wishes for their future.
And from what was said about these seniors, what amazing futures it appears they are all headed for! Proud and beaming parents held hands with their sons and daughter...
October 25, 2017
Yes, I Was My Daughter’s Biggest Problem!
One of our favorite family stories came to mind today during a FaceTime conversation with my eighteen-year-old daughter who is living in Morocco this year studying Arabic: When my son was three, said eighteen-year-old then eleven dropped something in the kitchen and exclaimed, “F**k!!” to which my son replied, “Do NOT say that word.” He paused, took a breath, stared down his sister, and admonished, enunciating each word, “That. . . Is . . . Mommy’s. . .Word!”
Aside from our family’s q...
How I Wish My Mom Would Have Known Her Grandchildren
Memories bubble wrapped, and stacked in cardboard boxes reach the ceiling of my 10×10 foot storage unit. Half a dozen previously mothered baby dolls lay naked head to foot in box number 55. Number 32 holds Mystic Force, SPD, and Jungle Fury Power Rangers; 4inch plastic people that magically captivate the mind of a 3-year-old.
I slice open the multilayered tape that contains the contents of box number 1. My grandmotherʼs purse...
October 22, 2017
On Her 18th Birthday, Here are the 19 Things I Hope I’ve Taught My Daughter
In just a few weeks my daughter will celebrate her 18th birthday. In the eyes of the world she will officially be an adult, even though she will always be my child. I have had 18 years to raise her and I think I did a pretty good job.
But as the days tick down until she’s all grown up, I’ve started to wonder if I really have instilled the life lessons she needs to be successful. My dear daughter, here are the 18 things I hope I’ve taught you in your 18 years of childhood.
Lessons for My Dau...Do Not Sabotage Your Kid’s College Essay! How to Help
Former Duke admissions recruiter Rachel Toor wasn’t getting through. Her advice about an applicant’s personal statement was met with “slightly revised versions of the same vague platitudes.” So when she got a suspiciously impressive new essay, she was concerned. Had someone else helped him write the essay?
“No, he said. This time he didn’t let his dad touch it.”
Toor’s piece is a great reminder to parents who get so invested in their children’s college applications that they forget to let th...
I’m Paying for More than Four Years of College. So What?
Recently I was at the bank to move funds around. The teller asked (probably according to a training script), if there was anything wrong with the accounts.
“Not at all,” I said. “I just use this one to pay tuition bills.”
She smiled and asked, “Which college?”
I told her where each of my sons were going.
“What years are they in?”
I was so hoping she wouldn’t ask that.
“One will be a sophomore.”
Then I paused. Stalling. I still haven’t found the best way to answer about the other son, so I we...
October 19, 2017
This is Why Food and Family Mean Everything
Thank you to Capital One for sponsoring this post.
My father loved food, probably more than anyone I know. When he was telling you about a meal or a dish he enjoyed, whether it was a fancy steak dinner, or a chocolate mousse cake, his voice would rise and fall with emphasis. His hands would slap the table lightly, and he would lean towards you and use words like “marvelous” and “outstanding.” He needed you to know Just How Good This Meal Was.
But he wasn’t much of a cook. Left to his own dev...
October 18, 2017
No One Warned Me! Watching Football is Just Not the Same
We have four children. Three have “left the nest” and are off at college now after our twin boys flew south last month. They joined their older sister as survivors of this crazy place, leaving just their youngest brother at home with his mother and father. With our daughter leaving a few years ago, I felt prepared for the twin boys to bid us adieu.
Everyone we knew, and I do mean everyone, told us that with two leaving, it was going to be quiet at home. D’uh. And that’s a bad thing?
