Tonight my daughter told me she hated me. She screamed it, in fact, before flipping her hair and marching upstairs to her bedroom. The door slammed and while part of me wanted to run after her and talk to her, I knew the best thing would be to give her time to cool down. My daughter is twelve. She came to me this afternoon and asked if she could go to the mall with her new friend (just moved in down the street), and I told her no. See, I don't know her new friend's parents. We've met in passing, but never really talked. And while I realize twelve is almost old enough to hang out at the mall Keep Reading >>>
My Parents Were Right, But I’m Taking That To My Grave
My daughter is nine. When I say she’s nine, I mean she thinks she’s 25. She is one of the most stubborn people I have ever come across. She gets these ideas in her head, and there is no deterring her. She thinks she is in control of every aspect of her life, and it’s about to drive me insane. I hate to admit it, but, my parents were right. Parenting is HARD! Also, I'm never going to tell them... My Parents Were Right, But I'm Taking That To My Grave On one hand, I don’t want to squash the insane drive she has. I want her to be an adult who isn’t afraid to have her opinions heard, and I Keep Reading >>>
Dear Ten-Year-Old, You’re Right That I’m Not Your Mom, But…
Dear Ten-Year-Old, Your favorite thing to say when you're mad at me is that I'm not your mom. You don't have to listen to me because I'm not your mom. You don't have to do what I ask because I'm not your mom. I get it. I'm not her. I'm never going to be her. And that's okay, because you are ten and don't yet see the value in me. Dear Ten-Year-Old, You're Right That I'm Not Your Mom, But... When you are petulant, I care about you enough to still tell you how to behave. When you are crying, I wipe your tears. When you are laughing, I'm laughing along with you. I am your Keep Reading >>>
Stuck in the Middle ~ Confessions of a Tween Boy’s Mom
Sometimes, raising a tween boy is ridiculously hard. Lately, I'm feeling like he and I are stuck in the middle together between so many polar-opposites that we might never find our way out! No one said that things with my son would be easy, but they NEVER EVER told me how hard it might . When we adopted him 5 years ago, it was all: "He'll be the little boy that slams the door and screams into his pillow." Honestly, if that was the little boy we'd been living with all this time, I would not be writing this post. Or even doing the whole blogging thing...I'd still be working a desk-job Keep Reading >>>
10 Ways to Talk with a Tween Boy
Here's the thing. It's not that tweens (boys in particular) don't want to talk. They just don't know how. Their brains are still developing and they just need to be taught how to open-up. To get you thinking, here's 10 ways to Talk with a Tween Boy that will TOTALLY work, if you give them a try! I'm kinda unsteady on my feet when it comes to conversation with my kiddo. He's a tough nut to crack. But that's why I try really really hard to be on-top of how I talk to him...maybe we'll survive the teen-years. Ask open-ended questions. Don't stick with the standard junk--be creative! Ask Keep Reading >>>
