Several months ago, our eleven-year-old suddenly morphed from a little kid into a tweenager. This (literal and figurative) development thrilled Lili and terrified us. Shortly thereafter, we discovered that my clothes and shoes fit her, another milestone which delighted her but struck fear into my heart. Lil now calls everyone “bruh” and does a
Motherhood has always challenged me to be the best version of myself and this has never been truer than in the tween/teen years. Sometimes I am just so tired.
May is the WORST. Every year I say May is the worst and I swear to God, every year May gets worse.
Lately I’ve been feeling like parenting has gotten the best of me. This may be because of end of the school year exhaustion or maybe it’s my oldest’s quick slide into the parenting abyss that is adolescence but I’m definitely not a shining example of good parenting this days. I’m often forgetful and disinterested and
When I think back to my twelfth summer, I think about how I felt – shy, and unsure of myself. I had just finished 6th grade and my best friend, Patricia, was spending the summer with her mother’s family in Ireland. Our separation was a strategic play by her parents – she and I were
When my son was little we would often host playdates. Sometimes we’d have two or three kids over at a time – especially in the summer when the kids would spend all morning or afternoon splashing in a kiddie pool or playing in the sandbox. Not every playdate was a success – we had our
I have one daughter who is officially a “tween” and another close behind. When we announced that we were having a girl (and then another and then another), people would often warn us about what would be coming. Boys are harder now, they ALL said, but girls will be your undoing later. One woman once
Holiday shopping is simple for little kids they typically have a list a mile long – and if not, you can give them a box and they’d be happy with it. Teenagers are equally easy to gift – just write a check and you’re done. But tweens are notoriously difficult to buy for – probably
We are at a major crossroad. We are deciding whether or not to get our son a phone for his 12th birthday. It’s once of those decisions that will affect life as we know it – and once you commit, there’s no going back. I think my son is pretty responsible; he’s a good kid
I thought I was one of the lucky ones. After the picky toddler stage, my son had turned into a really good eater. He would gobble up fruit at breakfast, at snack time he would enjoy and apple or banana while other kids were eating chips or gummy fruit snacks, and after dinner he would
