Mysterious teenagers

My almost sixteen-year-old daughter is keeping so much to herself these days, I feel like I hardly see her. When she’s not at gymnastics practice or cheering at games or with her friends, she holes up in her room for hours on end. Tonight she briefly emerged from her room to use the computer, then [...]

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The Chauffer

One of my errands on the way home from work tonight was to pick up my impatient son at a friend’s house, drive him home so he could quickly shower and grab a bite to eat, then rush him back over to that friend’s house so they could head to a movie. While watching my son [...]

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Communicating with teens

I had an exasperating conversation with my 13-year-old son last Friday. It was his father’s birthday and we were planning to go to dinner that evening. I called home to give him an advanced warning to get ready for the event. I considered it a form of insurance for both of us, since my showing up at home [...]

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Letting go

I don’t know which is harder: letting go of my children as they get older or keeping myself from turning into my mother, who still keeps a watchful eye on me even as I enter middle age. Nothing I do (or don’t do) doesn’t escape her notice or comment.
Ever since my kids were too old [...]

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