FOMO: The New Social Anxiety for Teens
When I was a teen there were no smartphones; we only had landlines. This meant that if I was going to talk to my boyfriend, I had to s t r e t c h the telephone cord as far as I could to get...
Read MoreWhen I was a teen there were no smartphones; we only had landlines. This meant that if I was going to talk to my boyfriend, I had to s t r e t c h the telephone cord as far as I could to get...
Read MoreRecently a mom told me, "I'm so sick of hearing the song, It's the most wonderful time of the year, everywhere I go. Really . . . the most wonderful time of the year??? Here's the deal. The holidays can be a huge setup for teen...
Read MoreWhat is Mother Fog? Mother Fog is when there are so many things going on at one time that you can't think clearly. This happens all the time with mothers. It's like your mind is covered with a thick, soupy, dense fog, and your thoughts, feelings, decisions,...
Read MoreEvery mom wants to see her teen making progress. You hope to witness your teen moving forward and progressing in their academics, creativity, relationships, responsibility, and maturity. This yearning is instinctual in moms and feels like it is written in our DNA. Because this feeling is so...
Read MoreYou want the best for your teen. You want her in the best school, taking the best classes. You want her involved and developing her abilities and skills. You want her to be challenged and all this is important for her brain development. But there is...
Read MoreTeenage girls live in the selfie generation. It's what teen girls do. So what's up with all these selfies? Parents can be baffled by the frequency of their daughter's selfies. When we were teens we also loved getting our pictures taken but it wasn't all the...
Read MoreAll moms experience weariness. The reason being is that we are fighting the good fight for our family. We give and give and give. And often we don't spend the necessary time replenishing all that we pour out onto those we care about. Often, this...
Read MoreI live in Texas. Everyone in Texas rides a horse, right? (Well, maybe not in Houston.) One weekend I was visiting my sister in Austin. We went to see some friends who lived outside of Austin who had four horses on several acres of land. Her...
Read MoreWe call it multi-tasking. Women pride themselves on being able to do a million things at once. Here's my question. How's it working for you? My guess is that it's not working that well. Something is going to be compromised. It's not just that we are doing several...
Read MoreThe fourth of July is a day to celebrate our country's freedom. How about you? Do you need a little freedom? How about a little emotional freedom, especially when it comes to your daughter's drama? Your daughter can be happy, angry, sad, stressed, and hyper in a...
Read MoreDefining success is tricky, especially when it comes to your teenager. Would you say your daughter is successful? Would your daughter say she was successful? These are uncomfortable questions for both you and your daughter. Here's why. This culture defines success in terms of ranking from the...
Read MoreI am taking an online defensive driving course. I could say I am taking the course because I wanted to lower my car insurance, which is partially true. But the truth is, I was speeding and got a ticket. There you have it. The secret...
Read MoreRemember Cyndi Lauper's song from the 80's, Girls Just Want to Have Fun. You might remember singing that song at the top of your lungs driving to the lake with your friends when you were in high school or college. But that was a long time ago...
Read MoreThe sky was deep blue, no humidity, and the temperature was 60 degrees. I decided to take advantage of this beautiful day in Houston. Days like these are rare in Houston and I wasn't going to miss it. The redbuds were out and some of...
Read MoreMy daughter is so stubborn. She argues about everything. She won't listen to anything I say. If I say one thing, she blows a gasket. I'll ask her about her day and all she says is fine. She's so disrespectful. It's like she's in her own little world. Do any of...
Read MoreLights are twinkling in our neighborhoods and holiday music is playing everywhere. The holiday season is here. I was reminded of one of my favorite Christmas songs when I was little, "All I want for my Christmas is my two front teeth...
Read MoreWhat is Mother Fog? Mother Fog is when there are so many things going on at one time that you can't think clearly. This happens all the time with mothers. It's like your mind is covered with a thick, soupy, dense fog, and your thoughts, feelings, decisions,...
Read MoreEvery mom wants to know that she's doing a good job. It's natural for moms to look for validation. We compare ourselves to other moms and other daughters, or we look to our daughter's behaviour for confirmation. This is a big trap for moms and is...
Read MoreWhat do you expect out of life? "The other shoe to drop." "Not much." "Someone is going to let me down." "I never get a break." What do you expect from your daughter? "She's going to blow it." "It's too late." "Now what is she up...
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