I’m a Grown-Boy Mom Now
I have an adult child. My oldest son walked across the stage a few months ago and received his high school diploma. I have practiced saying this to…
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teenager
Dear Teen, Your Mother Delights in You
I was there the first time you belly laughed. You found something uproariously funny and as that laugh bubbled up and sheer happiness burst from your…
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Dear Teen: I’ll Never Stop Asking For One More Moment With You
They will say no most of the time. When you ask them to watch a movie on a Friday night. Or go for a walk after dinner. Or search for sand crabs on a…
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Dear Daughter, Invite Jesus Along For the Ride
Dear daughter, You are now 16, and the long-awaited time has come for you to get your driver’s license. I know how excited you are to have the…
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Somehow, My Baby is Turning 13
I look at you, son, standing eye to eye, and I want to say I can’t believe you’re turning 13 . . . but I can. You blew out your candles last…
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Dear 16-Year-Old Me in the Tanning Bed
I remember you all too well. I remember the cheerleader, the girl who couldn’t wait for the winter formal, and then the prom. I see you looking at…
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Parenting Teens is a Test of My Faith
Parenting teens is hard. But not really in the ways they tell you. The hard stuff isn’t the eye-rolling, back-talk, slamming doors, or…
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To My Teenager: We’ll Do This Together
To my teenager, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said this morning. I’m sorry for the way I said it. I know I can be a little hard to live with…
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Why I Talk With My Teens About My Wild Past
I was 14 when I first snuck into my parent’s liquor cabinet and poured some sort of brown alcohol into a hastily washed Aquanet bottle. I took…
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Dear Daughter: It’s Not Your Job to be Liked
My daughter laughed as she said it, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. “She just walked right past me, pointed her finger and said, ‘I…
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