Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 404

A Puppy Love Story That Will Make You Cry

I suppose I am more modern that I give myself credit. When my daughter called home from college gushing about the new, perfect love of her life, I didn’t blink when she told me they had slept together on the night they met. “Mom! He’s gorgeous, dark and dreamy. He simply wandered into my life from out of the pitch black, Vermont night.”, were her effusive reviews. As she sang his praises and warmed me up for what was to come next, I knew she was a lost cause. She was already tightly in his gr...

Want Your Kids to be Tough? Read What This College Student Says

I do not claim to be the poster child for tough. Tough is not a word I heard very often growing up, but I can say with confidence that a lot of things have tumbled into my path that my upbringing prepared me for – a realization I did not have until I saw how challenging some of the same things were for other people. I was raised by two very resilient people, and grew up alongside some incredibly strong people who were also raised by resilient people. There are a lot of similarities between up...

What This College Counselor Wants All Parents to Know

Every year, it happens. Seemingly sane, thoughtful parents, come into my office agitated and angry.  I suspect it derives from the arrival of a Naviance college list that is generated on their student’s account.  The list is a collaborative effort between student and college counselor, a brainstorm, a rough draft (if you will) of what that student’s college list might eventually look like.  It’s a starting point, and from there students can start to explore, visit schools, and make some decis...

I Love You But It’s Time to Cut You Loose

I actually did it. I had been threatening to do it for a while but I finally removed my oldest son from our family’s phone plan. Before you judge me, let me explain what happened.

My older two sons can be capricious with the data usage on our phone plan. Most months we are well within our allotted data on the last day of our billing cycle, however, some months we (meaning they) go over. The excuses vary; their Wi-Fi wasn’t working correctly, or they were streaming videos or the data monster...

Adulting: Do Kids Really Think Growing Up is an Accomplishment?

There’s a pop culture verb floating around out there that I’m wondering if you’ve heard of yet. Maybe you recognize the word. Maybe you don’t. I mean, it is still pretty new. But make no mistake, the word adulting is real and it’s out there. And it totally fascinates me.

This new word, which I guess you could call a concept, has fast become a major buzzword out there in the mainstream, especially among millennials. Or with anyone talking about millennials. So if, by some freak chance, you ha...

Stay-At-Home Mom: This is the Reason I Have No Regrets

I just finished reading Lisa Heffernan’s article entitled, Why I Regret Being a Stay-at-Home Mom, in which she discusses her misgivings about her twenty years as a stay at home mom. And the truth is that many of my friends have told me emphatically that Heffernan has given voice to how they feel. It saddens me that so many of my contemporaries regret their life choices. I would argue that, although currently many of us have reached a point of transition, for most of us staying home was the hi...

March Madness With My Son: Why I Love this Crazy Month

Every March,  for the last five years, I’ve filled out a March Madness bracket, along with my son. As the tournament unfolds, we groan and moan or smile and high-five when our picks disappoint or delight. As our household moves from winter to spring, it’s our thing—my elder son and me. And it makes no sense.

He’s a huge football and hockey fan who only gets excited about basketball . I know virtually nothing about basketball. At 23 I’m sure he has—and in f...

100 Things This Wall Street CEO Wanted His Kids To Know Before They Left For College

I gave this note (and a slightly personally modified one) to each of my four children as they left for their first day of college.  I share this happily with anyone who may want to include a point or two as they create their own lists for their children.

Dear Max, Shane, Hunter and Skylar,

100 things in no particular order that I wish someone told me before I went to college. I’m sure you already know each of them and more. But just in case you ever need a reminder, I’ve written them down for...

Remember Your 9 Favorite Childhood Books When You Are at College

Darling Girl,

I am so excited that you will be heading off to college in the fall. Over the next four years, you will live, play, and study with some of the best friends you will ever have.

College is an incredible time. You will attend an 80’s themed party one night and spend the next day reading and discussing great works like Plato’s Republic, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, or Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Many of your college friendships will last a lifetime, and your knowledge and understanding of...

An Open Letter To The Kid With Social Anxiety

I see you.
You may think that is impossible, but I do.
I know you.
Of course you don’t believe me, but I am telling the truth.
I was you.
I was that kid. The one with the sweaty palms and racing heart. The one who would turn crimson red from the stares of others.

The pain that you feel is immense. I am here to tell you that I’ve been there. You are not alone.

To some, we are known as “the quiet ones”. Others prefer to deem us introverts. Whatever the tag, it is all the same.
For people like...