Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 436

Youngest Son: Parenting the Last Time Around

My youngest son just moved himself home from college. He came home, borrowed my car, drove back to school, loaded it up and returned home for the summer. He never asked for my help at any point and like so much of his childhood, I just let him go.

My oldest used to come home from college like a conquering hero. Our family encircled him waiting to hear every word about what life was like in college. When my youngest pulled up into our driveway only the dog and I were here to greet him. I felt...

9 Ways to Breathe New Life into Your Empty Nest

It’s true what they say: Childhood goes by so fast.

One minute you’re changing diapers and wiping noses, the next minute you’re dropping your kids off in their college dorm rooms, steeling yourself to say goodbye. You think this moment will never arrive, but when it does—and it will—you’ll never want to forget it. You will hug your teenager and not want to let go— but you will—and hold in your tears as long as you can, because you know if you completely lose your cool, your kid will lose his,...

Coming of Age Mothering During My Kids’ Post College Years

The dogs are last to know when the kids are coming and the first to know when they are leaving. They sense the undertow of the pack, but once the wave overtakes the house, the pooches delude themselves into thinking the kids are back for good. And sometimes, I do too.

With kids in their 20’s that come more often than they did when they were in college, I’m trying my damndest not to jump on the first hovercraft circling my empty nest. Even though I can see the dogs slinking into a corner when...

Soiling the Nest: What’s Good About Teens Being Bad

My oldest leaves for college in about six weeks. To say the last few months haven’t been without a multitude of aggravations, unwarranted aggressions, flaring tempers, and angry outbursts would be a big, fat lie. Because they have. A lot.

I’ve been told this is a phenomena known as soiling the nest. It’s when we as mothers, perhaps out of utter exhaustion and perpetual impatience, have gotten to the point of, well, to put it bluntly, WANTING OUR KIDS OUT OF THE NEST. Period. Ironically, it c...

10 Dorm Essentials to Put at the Top of Your List

The good news is your kid is going to college. The bad news is your kid is leaving for college. While there may be a long list of things they WANT to buy, here is a list of the things they NEED to buy, the real dorm essentials. We have cut to the basics, the must haves, and listed only the things that they will need the day college starts. Even here there is much to consider, see below.

This isn’t 1983, college students can, free for six months, sign up with Amazon Student (really just Amazon...

When Tears Began for Mom Who’s Not the Crying Kind

The comments began the summer before my oldest daughter’s senior year of high school Well-meaning, of course. “Wow, this is it!” “Can you believe she’ll be graduating?” “This will be her last (insert event here).”

While all valid, I was never really sure how to answer these comments/questions. “Why yes, I can believe she’s graduating. She’s been here four years.” “Yes, this is her last home volleyball game. What a great run she’s had.” “Yes, this really is it, but she’s worked so hard for thi...

Playdate for Moms: I’ll Mix Cocktails, You Bring Back 2004

Dear Friends,

Let’s have a playdate. Remember playdates? Remember how would sit in the park or by the pool or in my living room for hours while the children played? Remember how we nursed babies and sipped iced coffees and every now and then had “grown up drinks”? Remember not feeling rushed? Not having a full schedule? Remember talking about potty training and picky eaters and birthday parties. Remember talking about sex and recipes and hairstyles?

I know. The kids are big now. They don’t r...

What Having a Kid Away at College is Truly Like

It’s getting real, isn’t it? The final rounds of exams, concerts, games, and banquets, followed by the biggie: high school graduation. As the reality of sending your child off to college sets in, you might be wondering what it’s going to be like, considering that for weeks you’ve already been crying at the drop of a hat (and not just graduation caps—any hat will do).

Take it from a couple of moms who’ve been there: That first college year is hard to describe and changes from day-to-day, but...

The BEST of Facebook this Week

The post The BEST of Facebook this Week appeared first on Grown and Flown.

Alcoholism: The Day My Son Finally Called for Help

The call came at an inconvenient time. Son #3 was in the midst of soccer tryouts. Son #2 was onstage in a show. But Son #1 needed help. And he’d asked for it. At last.

I’m not sure if I’d been waiting for the phone to ring but, when it did—when he told his dad and me that he’d been drinking too much and wasn’t sure how to stop—I was online buying a plane ticket to visit him at college before my husband had even hung up.

The assault of relief and guilt you feel when your child finally admits...