Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category
What Should You Do If You Catch Your Teenager Drinking?
Not As I Do
For me, the issue of teenage drinking is one of those “double standard” parenting dilemmas, because it’s something I felt was okay when when I was a teenager, but isn’t okay for my kids. (What was that thing about ‘do as I say’?)
It Creeps Up On You
The problem, for me at least, is that one minute they’re playing with trucks, and the next thing you’ve just found a six pack stashed in their closet. Then, you find yourself asking two questions. First, it’s ”How’d that just happen?”, and second, “What do I do now?”.
The Conversation
This is when you need to reach out to parents who’ve been in this situation and have figured out reasonable ways to handle it. (I have the sense that “freaking out and drinking the beer yourself” isn’t one of them.) If you’ve “been there, done that” with your kids, please share…
The Podcast…
Podcast: Download
How Do You Get Your Kids Into a Good Summer Routine?
X-Box and Snacks
My kids think eating, watching TV, and playing X-Box is a good summer routine. I beg to differ.
Television
Not that any of this should come as a surprise. When I was a kid, most of what I knew came from Gilligan’s Island and Love American Style.
The Conversation…
I guess the real question is how to make sure your kids get the most out of their summer. Please let me know what works for you in the comments section.
The Podcast…
Podcast: Download
College Students and Our… Their Summer Vacations
I always know it’s summer when I start to see college students going shopping with their moms. Generally speaking, the moms want to spend time with their kids, and the college students want control over the grocery list. And clothes.
I Know The Feeling
I’m tuned in to this process because even though I’m 52 years old, I still remember those summers like they were yesterday. Which brings me to the challenge: how do you parent a college student that’s home for the summer, when you still feel like a college student that’s home for the summer?
Mind Altering Substances
A summer job is usually considered the gold standard. Parents feel as though compelling their son or daughter to work will impart valuable life lessons. This is only partially true: I worked most summers while home from college, and yes, the jobs taught me the value of the education I was getting. Then I returned to campus and blew everything I made on beer and well, other things.
The Conversation…
The thing I can’t escape is the desire for my children to be more evolved than I was. So, what is it – beyond getting a job that will fund missed classes and hangovers – that we should encourage (or demand of) our offspring this summer? Let’s talk about it here.
