Search Results for: blog i wish i had parental controls on my children

Micromanaging Your Teen’s Life

Do you attempt to micromanage your teenager’s life?  What that really means is you are trying to control it.  Yet these are the years when we have to learn when to let go, when to start loosening the apron strings. This takes a lot of trust and for me, prayer.  It’s difficult to do.  You sometimes question whether you have done too much or not enough in letting go. At the same time, new freedoms must be earned.  The first day your teen gets his or her driver’s license, you don’t hand over the keys and say, “Have at it!”  … Continue reading →

One of My “Nevers” As a Parent

After reading fellow blogger Michele Cheplic’s “Hopefully Never,” I couldn’t help but think about all of the things I would never allow my children to do. And these aren’t even “big” issues like getting on a commercial airplane by themselves. I’m talking about the “smaller” stuff, the things that sometimes my teens really balk at and can’t understand why. But it doesn’t matter; there are just some things I will never do. The latest one that has my 12-year-old son very frustrated is that I won’t allow him to go over to a friend’s house from school unless I meet … Continue reading →

When Teens Start to Break Away

Last week I blogged about taking a break from your teen and how that is sometimes necessary. It had been kind of a rough couple of weeks, so it seemed to be good timing that my teen daughter was going away for the weekend. I was surprised at myself that I was also looking forward to the break. Usually when my daughter goes away for more than a day, I am missing her. But my thought that I wouldn’t miss her didn’t last long…just a few hours into her being gone; I started to wish she was home. Navigating through … Continue reading →

Does Soda Cause Teen Violence?

Is your teen a regular soda (or pop, however you wish to refer to it) drinker? Then you should know that your teen is at a higher risk of being violent. That is according to a recent study in Boston and a survey in Minnesota. So if that’s the case, then imagine how a teen that plays violent video games and downs a Pepsi on a regular basis will fare? While it is certainly an interesting study, I’m not entirely sure I see the link between soda and violence. I guess you could say that the caffeine causes an adrenal … Continue reading →

The Spy Who Loves Me

This past week I attended a parenting class at my church. We are actually watching a video series that incorporates discussion time. I can’t recall the exact wording of the question but we were asked something that had to do with discovering things about our children. I had whispered to my husband, “I spy.” He smiled and told me I should share that with the class. I hesitated for several moments. I wasn’t sure what other parents think about spying on their children. It’s not something you really talk about. I didn’t want to come across as being a nosey … Continue reading →

Near Tragedy in My Home

In a previous blog I mentioned taking a weekend trip away from home. It has taken a few days to process a scary event that took place but I now feel ready to share it. There is nothing like feeling helpless as a mom. That is exactly how I felt when Sunday afternoon I was sitting inside an airport in Charlotte, North Carolina and my husband called to tell me that a nearly tragic event took place in our home. On Saturday my 17-year-old son and his good friend had attended a party at someone’s house. One of the pastors … Continue reading →

A Parent’s Fatal Mistake

You may have heard the horrifying and tragic story of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzy, savagely killed and dismembered in New York. Although it has been all over the news, I first read about the arrest of his murderer when I was searching for traffic accident stories for one of my freelance writing gigs. The headline blazed across the computer and I honestly wanted to vomit. I won’t tell you the details. But as I read the news story, tears ran down my face. This little boy was simply lost and looking for directions. But he came across the wrong person to … Continue reading →

Do You Parent Out of Fear?

Do you know someone who parents out of fear? Perhaps you are that type of person. My mother was somewhat like that in her parenting. She would make some of her decisions based on what “might” happen. The world was a dangerous place (which is true to a degree) and so she tried to avoid my becoming a victim. The problem was that she never allowed me to really grow up the way I should have. In fact, when I met my husband I didn’t know how to cook or even how to drive. It took my husband teaching my … Continue reading →

Is Your Teen Ready to Date?

If you are the parent of a teen there is one particular issue that you have probably been dreading for many years…teen dating. It conjures up in my mind all kinds of emotions from my past. I remember how difficult teen dating was. So often my heart would overtake me and I was so sure that I was in love. When it didn’t work out, I was left with broken pieces. Teen dating is not something that every teenager will be interested in. Sometimes we make the false assumption that as soon as high school hits, every teenager will be … Continue reading →

Do Parenting Contracts Work?

I have never been one to jump on the idea of a parenting contract. If you aren’t sure what this is, it is a written agreement between you and your teen regarding specific issues. My interest was only recently peeked after receiving a blog that I subscribe to. The author of the blog had come up with this fantastic parenting contract for her teen that had just started driving. Since I have a teen that has his learner’s permit and is scheduled to take his driving test at the end of January, I suddenly became very interested. I printed off … Continue reading →