Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 388

Drug Addiction: This is What I Wrote to My Kids After the Funeral

Boys, today we buried a young man.  He was an addict. He had a drug addiction to heroin, to getting high and to that feeling of abandonment that accompanies drugs. There is nothing more devastating than drugs.  There is nothing that breaks a family apart and that destroys your future, like drugs. And trust me boys, as I saw today, there is nothing in this world as heartbreaking, as soul wrenching as a mother and father burying their son.

[Read Next: Helping Your Student Cope with Tragedy]

Bo...

5 Annoying Things About Little Kids I (Mostly) Don’t Miss

I love having teenagers. They are funny and interesting, and I always have someone around who is up for late night binge watching.

So far two of them are taller than me, so they can reach stuff that I can’t. The girls let me borrow their shoes. I have people to help me with my errands, carry heavy boxes, fix a paper jam in the printer, and drive me home if I have a second glass of wine at dinner.

Not only that, they can all put on their own shoes, pour their own juice, and rarely does anyone...

This Mom’s Top 10 Things for Her College Son to Know

Dear Son,

I know you don’t have a lot of patience for things like “Heartfelt Advice As You Head Off to College” letters, so I’m gonna keep this brief and to the point. Here are just ten important things I want you to remember as you start the “College” chapter of your life.

1. Smile, be polite, and offer compliments when you can. Be curious about other people’s stories and life experiences. Try to be positive, and make people laugh. If you can try your best to do all of these things, you’ll...

Dear Daughter, Don’t Worry About the Tears I’ll Shed

I am so excited for you and your new adventure! Whether you decide to read this tonight or a few weeks from now, know that I am always rooting for you to climb the mountain of your dreams. You have spent a lot of hours, days, months, sweat, and tears getting ready to get ready to be your own person and preparing to go on this adventure. Know that part of you has already accomplished your dream by getting to the point of sitting right where you are right now. I could not be more proud of you.

...

Be Right, Be Wrong, Be Quiet and 17 Other Pieces of Advice for My College Kid

You are embarking on a great journey and I know there will be times that you won’t come to me, so I am giving you some advice for college in advance. Some is old, some is new, but I want you to remember all of these things.

 

1. Be kind. To everyone, all the time. No excuses. If you have nothing nice to say, smile and walk away.

2. Be generous. Not just with money, but with your smiles, hugs, laughter, and time.

3. Be tolerant. You are one unique person in a world of 7 billion. Most of them...

Dear Son, My Little Bit of Advice as You Head to College

Son,

There is a tradition of parents writing an obligatory college drop off letter to your freshman college student. I have read a few examples, and some of them are beautiful, poignant. They are to offer advice and throw out some words of encouragement. So here is my attempt!

The next month or so is going to feel like a whirlwind. You may feel very uneasy at times. There will be a lot coming at you very quickly. As dad puts it, “like drinking water from a firehose.”  You may feel like every...

Advice to Freshman From Senior: “I Would Kill to Be in Your Shoes”

Dear College Freshman, I would kill to be in your shoes. If I were granted a single wish, all I would ask for is the chance to start college over again. Not because I would want to change a single thing, but because every day of my college experience has been a blessing, and I wish I could stop time and exist in these days forever.

Unfortunately for me though, the real world is calling and the days are ticking down to graduation. With one year to go, the denial is unreal. But what I can’t de...

Here are the Top 7 College Visit Mistakes

Conventional wisdom holds that a college visit should include a quick information session and tour, with families as passive recipients of whatever the school offers. Since visitations can be stressful, the internet is full of suggestions for navigating these visits. It is essential that parents carefully assess some of this advice, which may be misleading or not particularly relevant to their child’s unique needs.

Here is my list of the top college visit mistakes:

#1: Skip the information s...

My Son May be 16 But THIS is Why I am Helping Him Pack

I perch on the edge of my son’s bed and survey the chaos. There are clothes strewn over every inch of the floor. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that he’d just dumped out each drawer of his dresser. Actually – judging by the contents and placement of the piles, that’s exactly what he’s done. Is it possible that a child who is genetically related to me could interpret this as compliance with my request that he help me pack for his summer vacation? He’s leaving in 48 hours. I take a deep bre...

This is What Matters More than My SAT Score

So let me ask you something. And it’s a slightly bizarre question, so stick with me. If, and I say “if”, there was a way to pre-determine whether your child would be born with a high EQ (Emotional Quotient) or a high IQ (Intelligence Quotient), which would you chose? My only stipulation here is that you can only pick one trait. It’s an either/or question and I make the rules.

Don’t rush. Take a minute and really think it through before you answer. Because I realize there are a lot of factors...