Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 379

Dear Daughters, Here’s the One Thing I Want From You

Dear Daughters,

I want you to think back. Waaaaay back. Back to a time when you lived, very cozily (albeit slightly contorted), in my belly…
Even though I know you don’t really remember this particular time in our lives, I remember it vividly. (Maybe a little too vividly. You know, sciatica and all.) Because it was the time when we first started to really get close. You know, the time when we were very literally connected at the hip (just from the inside) and did absolutely everything togethe...

10 Ways to Make a Great First Impression on Your College Professors

Over my teaching career, I have seen a lot of college students come and go. Some I remember because they made a great, lasting impression: their work and behavior was professional (A and B students). Others, I remember because they were challenging, disruptive, and unengaged (D and F students). And then there were the students who left no impression whatsoever (C students).

Most professors, particularly in the smaller classes, can determine which students will fall into these categories wit...

After Years of Being a Dance Mom, This is How the Last Lesson Felt

Nurturing and supporting your child’s talent takes energy, commitment, money, and sacrifice. Mostly, though, it takes time. For many of us, that time is most often spent in the car. When my youngest daughter started ballet lessons, I wanted her to get the best training, just I had years ago. Since there were no high-quality schools nearby, we began commuting 50 minutes to lessons, rehearsals, and summer programs. I used to joke that I watched my daughter grow up through the rear view mirror.

...

My Daughter Just Started Freshman Year and Is Already Back Home

This is not how freshman year is supposed to be, I thought as my husband and I packed up our daughter’s belongings from her dorm room.

I choked back tears as I boxed up her barely used Keurig and like-new text books, her fluffy white comforter and coordinating desk lamp. These same items—so full of promise and possibility when we helped her unpack them three short weeks ago—were painful reminders now of how the best laid plans can change in the blink of an eye.

Two weeks into the school year...

My Daughter Just Started Freshman Year and Now Has to Drop Out

This is not how freshman year is supposed to be, I thought as my husband and I packed up our daughter’s belongings from her dorm room.

I choked back tears as I boxed up her barely used Keurig and like-new text books, her fluffy white comforter and coordinating desk lamp. These same items—so full of promise and possibility when we helped her unpack them three short weeks ago—were painful reminders now of how the best laid plans can change in the blink of an eye.

Two weeks into the school year...

College Rankings: 5 Things That Matter More When it’s Time to Apply

It’s college rankings season, and no one has more of a love-hate relationship with these annual lists than academia — except maybe parents.

Don’t get me wrong; data is great. As a parent on the college search myself, it is gratifying to have hard facts and boxes to check. But some commercial lists employ questionable methodology, and the plain truth is that whether a student will thrive at a particular school cannot be determined by an institution’s national ranking. Rather, some of the most...

How to Get Your College Freshman to Think About Their Career

Congrats! You are a college student embarking on a new phase of life… making friends, pursuing a major, and adjusting to being independent. As much as it feels that the job market is in the distant future and you can barely find your way around campus, there is an opportunity to take small steps to plan your career, even as a Freshman.

This post is personal for me. My oldest son just left for college. I am excited for the opportunities ahead of him and a bit sad that he is gone. But now that...

Warning, a Parent Portal is Really a Portal to Hell!

To some degree, I guess I’ve always been a helicopter parent. However, when my daughter entered 7th grade, I made a conscious decision to step back and let her spread her wings. I promised to no longer micromanage her education, but rather, I would simply remain Bette-Midler-esque as “the wind beneath her wings.”

It was a good plan, but I was set up for failure by the school. They enabled me and my obsessive personality by placing the “drug” right into my eager smothering hands. They gave me...

How to Get Rid of the “My Kid’s at College” Blues

Finding a new sense of normal when a child ventures off to college can be very difficult for some parents.

After months of preparation, including a sea of college visits, the grueling application process, making the final decision regarding which college to attend, buying literally everything my daughter needed for her dorm room and helping her settle in, the time had arrived – it was time to say goodbye. The swirl of emotion that enveloped me was absolutely dizzying. I tried to convince mys...

Moms, Let’s Admit That This is Actually Tough

Liz Petrone, a mom of four, detailed her pre-work day in a Facebook post which went viral. She wasn’t asking for sympathy, she was just keeping it real and funny at the same time. The post, which has been shared thousands of times got lots of positive feedback but also garnered a host of negative comments.

Clearly the post was relatable, yet many people chose to focus on the negative, lambasting her for wasting time cleaning, being fortunate enough for having a job which allows her to get in...