As a parent, it can feel like you need to have every answer—but no one has it all figured out. That’s why we’re here. These real-life experiences come from parents doing their best. Learn how they handle technology, finances, travel, friendship and everything in between.
About a month ago, I listened to nationally known motivational speaker Mike Smith, who discussed the difference between wishing, talking and doing. In my mind, I had always thought of myself as a doer. However, reality hit me during the presentation—I am a wisher and talker.
Drugs. Sexting. Alcohol. Dating violence. One online search would find a plethora of articles discussing high school students and these dangers. And right there, I stopped myself.
Failure. A word most of us cringe at and try to avoid. Who wants to fail? Normally, I would believe many of us are not actively seeking to fail. However, I have come to realize that failure is an integral part of the learning/growing process.
I told my kids this the other day: “I’m so excited for school to be in session. I’m a better mom when I am teaching.” All three of our kids gave me a blank stare.
Here we go again. Another school year is underway, and that means homework and after-school activities. But when homework is done and there aren’t any after-school activities, a lot of parents wonder, “Is it okay to give my child the iPad or allow them to watch TV?”
I’m the grandma of four beautiful and loving grandchildren. They teach me a great deal about life and love. They give more to me than I’ll ever be able to give to them. This past week, though, being a grandma was a little different.
During the summer months, volunteers are more apt to be on vacation, so we frequently find ourselves in need of additional help. Occasionally, one or all of my grandkids will help out, and their support is always greatly appreciated.
This weekend, I realized I’m not the fun parent. I try to do fun things with the kids, but when my husband is involved he’s like a big kid himself. Our children’s faces light up when Dad’s around.
With the ever-changing technology, the topic of digital citizenship is being brought up day after day with our children. This is a topic that my generation was never taught.
Can I just say I get annoyed constantly being asked for money? Yet, with this frustration, my husband and I have had opportunities to teach our children about the value of money.
This past weekend, my husband and I traveled to Dallas, Texas to join in the baptism celebration of our new grandniece. As always, the visit to Dallas was too short but filled with laughter and lots of love for family.
Our daughter recently got her school learner’s permit, and on these beautiful Nebraska days, she wants to learn to drive. I have spent three days in the passenger’s seat as she practices driving for one to two hours at a time.
No caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no gluten, no processed foods, no refined sugars and no eating after 7 p.m. I decided it was time to challenge myself and start the 10-Day Shred.
Being a grandma and being retired offers many perks. This past month, however, I challenged myself to take on an opportunity I’d thought about doing for some time: a mission trip.
Let me break this down for you. From the time our children are born and turn 18, there are 940 Saturdays. Think about that. 940 Saturdays. Once our kids reach high school, there’s a mere 200 Saturdays left.
I am chasing a dream, a dream that is bigger than I am qualified for. When the dream of becoming a writer was placed on my heart over three years ago, I put my lifelong learner qualities into action of reading and writing on a daily basis. Through a crazy social media connection, I am blogging for CapitalMOM.
I am a planner. I know what our family is having for supper for the next seven days, what I am buying for Christmas gifts, where we are going on vacation the first week of June and what laundry I will do each day of the week.
If you are the parent of a teen, you need to know about it. A few weeks ago, my 15-year-old daughter said to me, “Mom, I’m watching a TV show that I think you would like. It’s called Catfish.” My response: “Why are you watching a fishing show?”
In Nebraska, we all know the weather can change in a minute. We’ve all heard the saying “If you don’t like the weather today, wait till tomorrow.” And now that Cohen is in school and walking to his daycare after school, what he wears matters.
Recently, I’ve noticed my girls being more and more annoyed (and even sympathetic) for teens who seem to always overshare online, mostly through Twitter and Instagram.
My two teenagers recently received postcards in the mail from our bank. The cards offered special checking accounts with a $50 bonus and trendy debit card designs. Yikes. I still like to keep track of my kids’ Christmas gift checks, and I can’t imagine them carrying around their own checkbooks or debit cards.
About a year ago, my freshman daughter told me that a friend of hers (who happened to be a boy) had invited her over to his house on a Saturday night along with a handful of other freshmen kids to “hang out.”
Unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, dusting, vacuuming, feeding the pets, making the bed — the list goes on and on. All of these items are daily tasks at my home that my husband and I usually do, but now our kids are at ages when they can start helping.
Just when I’ve convinced myself I’m a real hip grandma — you know — one who listens to modern music, watches all kinds of current movies, works out at the “Y” to stay in shape, I find that I’m just another senior citizen lacking in all social media skills.
We love our kids, and it can be hard not to do things to make their lives easier. But, as a parent, we aren’t doing them any long-term favors by making everything easy. Life is hard. Life is expensive. Things don’t always go our way.
As I daydreamed about my kids being completely financially independent, I remembered they are also full-time students. As much as I rant about the importance of grades and activities, working too many hours a week would definitely take away from study time.
Learning to drive is a rite of passage. At some point, everyone takes a turn. I remember the joy of turning 16 and getting my first real driver’s license. It meant that I could officially take our two-tone brown 1976 Granada down to McDonalds for a Coke all by myself.
Hello, my name is Nancy! I am a wife, mother of two grown daughters and four grandchildren ages 14-17. It’s such a blessing that they all live in Lincoln, NE, which I recognize is an amazing luxury.
I have the blessing of living in the same city as my three children and grandchildren. I also have a business that allows me the flexibility to regularly spend time with each of them.
Ask a teenager who Taylor Swift’s latest beau is and she can probably answer in a heartbeat, including where they were last photographed in public. Teens can also tell you who the latest YouTube sensation is, when the next Hunger Games movie comes out and who is Denver’s starting quarterback.
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