Therapy Helped Me Let My Teen Son Go So I Could Hold Him Close
“I’m going to ask Stacy to marry me,” said my 22-year-old son, Richard, as we sat in a coffee shop. You know the expression, “my life flashed before my eyes”? Well, right then, my life did; it included a lot of his…. Read More
When Your Daughter Wants to Protest
“Just want to let you know so you don’t freak out later, Mom,” my 20-year-old daughter said on the phone, “I might get arrested tomorrow.”
I suppose I should have expected a call like this. She organized her first protest at 8 years old, petitioning my neighbors to boycott products from Sudan over the genocide in Darfur…..Read More
On the Eve of His Engagement, All My Son Needs
Seated on a two-seater couch in my hotel room, my 22-year-old son fixes his gaze on mine, his expression a powerful mix of love, hope and excitement. I see just a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. I’m nervous, too.
I reach into my handbag to take out a small box, the transfer of which is the reason I’ve flown to Boston to meet him.…Read More
Managing Your Teens’ Attitude Takes This Shift in Yours
“You never let me do anything! I hate you!” Fists balled, eyes flashing, my 14-year-old daughter stood in our kitchen, screaming at me. I imagined her sentence hanging over our heads, the letters a blood-red Hallowe’en font, dripping, rising, expanding, pulsing.
Her words were a cannonball to my heart, but anything I said would only escalate the exchange… Read More
You Are Not Raising a Brat. I Promise You.
Eye rolls.
Sarcasm.
Hollering and a door slam.
Shell-shocked, you sit at your kitchen table, head in your hands. Who is that horrible teen now under your roof, and what has she done with the sweet child you thought you were raising?.. Read More
Mother-Daughter Time in Wet, Salty Darkness
Years ago, I saw a news clip about a support group for people afraid of roller coasters, poised to overcome those fears. The clip showed them huddled together in the shadow of a coaster, sharing supportive hugs and words of reassurance… Read More
Homelessness Through the Eyes of a Teen
Driving into downtown Bethesda, Maryland earlier today, a panhandler came up to my car window as my teen and I were stopped at a red light. I don’t give money to panhandlers, or (any longer) food, either. What I do hand out are bright orange cards, with Bethesda Cares’ Drop-In Center… Read More
Becoming a Becoming Mother-in-Law
I, as perhaps you, have always hoped that each of my three children will, as adults, find positive, supportive partners with whom to share their lives. But holy heck, I still fell off my chair when my eldest son, at the tender age of 22, called me to announce his engagement. Seconds after offering him my congratulations and best wishes, I group-texted my three besties, none of whom yet have married children, either… Read More