Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 406
March 8, 2017
My Daughter is Strong. Me? Not So Much
Her brown hair, gathered up in a messy bun atop her head, this is what I noticed as my train pulled away from the station after moving my 22-year old daughter, Hannah, to New York City, where—years earlier—the two of us had shared in a mother/daughter trip to attend Broadway shows. A decade later, Hannah had landed an internship with a Broadway casting company. Where I’d once guided Hannah around this city with my laminated, tri-fold subway map, she now used an App on her phone to guide me. U...
This Mom Planned to Let Her Daughters Go, This is What Happened
“Do you want to go out and get a glass of wine with me?” my husband asked.
“Right now?!” I checked my iPhone.
“It’s 3:00 in the afternoon!”
“Yeah, so?”
“I can’t do that. It would ruin the rest of my plans. Besides, the girls will be home soon.”
I don’t fault my husband for asking. In fact I’m glad that after 20 years of marriage, he still persists in trying to shake up my day. It was years ago already that he promised, “Someday I’m getting you a shirt that says, ‘Sure, I’m spontaneous! Just...
High School Graduation Gifts for Guys. They Will Love These!
Graduation. Just saying that word causes a lump in our throats as we think about high school kids preparing to walk across a literal stage into adulthood. Do you have a senior in your home? While you’re busy saying final goodbyes and getting ready for the big day, we hope you’ll take a moment to look at these ideas for high school graduation gifts for guys.
High School Graduation Gifts for GuysHeirloom-quality knitted sweaters by Hillflint are super-stylish and available f...
March 7, 2017
“Mom, Where Is the…?” Why Teens Need Their Moms
I potty trained my kids and taught them how to eat with utensils. I helped them learn to speak and walk and have decent conversations. So by the time they became teenagers, I expected they would be half-independent. Turns out they are. Sometimes. As in, the times when they want to be. But the other times? Our conversations go a bit like this:
Mom, where is my homework?
In your backpack.
Where is my backpack?
On the hook where backpacks go.
Where is that hook?
By the front door.
Where is the f...
March 6, 2017
When Your Freshman Drops Out. How to Think About Plan B
A month ago, my son decided to drop out of college and move back home. It was a sudden decision, made on the last day to drop classes, and time will tell if it was the right one.
Because it was his second semester of college and we expected him to be there for at least three more years, our family was taken by surprise. Instead of one down, three to go, it’s grown, flown, and back home. For now, we need to come up with some new goals and a plan for the future. And I’m already finding that my...
Yikes! These 4 College Admissions Letters Will Make You Cringe
April is indeed the cruelest month. Not only does it find us dispatching tokens of our affection to our pals at the IRS, it brings some of us proverbial fat (yes!) and thin (bummer) envelopes—or those heart-stopping emails—from assorted institutes of higher learning. Ever wonder what admissions officers are really thinking when they notify applicants of their decisions? Me too! So I fished these crumpled up first drafts out from some of their recycling bins.
March 4, 2017
You May Not Want Children But Think About These 5 Things First
My middle son has said that he does not want children. He is quite emphatic about his decision and I have to admit he seems to have thought his position through. In fact, he has probably contemplated this subject more than his brothers, both of whom have stated that they plan on having children.
I understand his arguments for remaining child-free better than he probably thinks I do; it would be hard for me not to since I have been parenting for quite a while and know the challenges first-hand...
What This Mom Would Like to See More of in Her Teens
It really is true what they say, that as parents, we often never get to see who our teens truly are because they’re always so damn different around us than they are with other people. And even though they shouldn’t be different, they still are. It’s just how the kid personality operates.
There’s the Home Personality… you know, the one that lends itself to meltdowns and snarkiness and attitude, and then there’s the Outside World Personality, which is the kid the rest of the world sees. And tha...
March 3, 2017
The Mysterious Wonderful Spring Break Trip That Never Happened
Sometimes when great plans fall apart, something just as beautiful emerges.
Our senior daughter asked to fly out-of-state for a spring break trip to visit her best friend in Indianapolis where we used to live. “With college coming, I need to say my good-byes,” she said. She planned on attending college overseas and the significance of leaving friendships behind was real. We appreciated her intentional care for the good people in her life and this particular friendship was rare. After giving i...
March 2, 2017
A Furious Husband, a “Lazy” Son, and the Mom in the Middle
“I’m going to burst” blurts my husband, the planes of his face tight with anger. “Maybe we should stop him working, prevent him going out, or switch off the Wi-Fi.” I can feel the heat of frustration radiating from this normally placid man who is on the brink of volcanic eruption over our son.
“Do you think that would make him more likely to study?” I prompt, knowing that none of these measures will encourage our apathetic senior to apply himself, but will certainly make him cross and resentf...
