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Teenage Cliques

Old memories are being brought back, those of teenage cliques. Oh how I painfully remember those times. Cliques can be very heartbreaking. The memories were spurred by a conversation my daughter had with me. I find it interesting how she didn’t just tell me the situation. She wanted to first know how I felt about it. She asked me, “How would you feel if a very good friend of yours that you always invite to your birthday parties didn’t invite you to their birthday party? And then on top of it, she invited your best friend. How would you feel?” … Continue reading →

Relief Society: Cliques

It is a sad but true fact that there are often cliques in Relief Society. Often I think these form out of not reaching beyond your initial circle of friends. Many times these circles are just of people in the same place in their lives. The moms of the teenagers tend to congregate together, because they want to talk about their teenagers. The young moms with multiple children spend a lot of time together, because their kids like to play together. The newly marrieds and first time moms hang out a lot together as well. While many are friendly, it … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Lindsay Lohan stars in “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,” the story of a girl named Mary who whom life is just too boring. She craves adventure and excitement, to the point where she’ll create the reality she wants if it doesn’t exist. She’s even changed her name, requesting to be known as Lola. When she moves to a small town from her home in New York City, she expects to be at least somewhat popular. After all, she’s from the big city, she has the right clothes, and it’s to be expected, right? But she’s very wrong. Her new … Continue reading →

When It’s Hard to See the Good

Have you ever been surprised by a child’s accomplishment? As parents this might sound inconceivable but I have a confession to make…I am guilty of this. Last week was the annual “Legacy Awards.” This is a special night in our church’s youth group, where teens are nominated for a variety of things. All the teens get dressed up. And those who are nominated get to take a ride in a limo and then come down the red carpet while the paparazzi (the parents) snap pictures. It is just like the Grammy’s, where someone comes up (youth sponsors) and opens an … Continue reading →

Interfering in Children’s Friendship Problems

I don’t know why I do it…but alas it has happened again. It is parental intervention in a friendship problem with my child. For some reason I really struggle with letting my children work it out. I hate to see them hurt or not getting along with someone, so I attempt to patch things up. However that almost always backfires. When my oldest son was in middle school he had a lot of difficulties with his best friend. The problem is that his best friend’s mother is also my very good friend. Needless to say it ended up causing friction … Continue reading →

Facing Some Challenges

This weekend I had to say goodbye to my 16-year-old son. He was off to a military encampment which is part of the Civil Air Patrol program that he belongs to. This is his second summer participating. It is very hard for me as a parent to see him off. First, this is not your average summer camping trip. He stays on an active military base where he goes through the rigors of boot camp. Second, I have absolutely no access to him. There is no contact allowed. The best I can hope for is a picture of him. Someone … Continue reading →

Teaching Teens About Friendships

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about teenage cliques and how painful they can be. That blog was spurred by my daughter not getting invited to a birthday party. At the time I encouraged her to ask her friend about it. I really didn’t want her to assume the worst but she did. Just a couple of days ago she announced that she was no longer mad at her friend. As it turned out, she had the invitation but kept forgetting to give it to my daughter. In her world everything was fine again. It bothered me, however. One … Continue reading →

Combatting Stereotypes in Children, Part Two

In recent blogs we’ve talked about whether economic pressures and anti-immigrant sentiment will have an effect on our transracially adopted children. I wrote one blog on how adults can explore our own feelings about diversity. The blog Combatting Racism in Children, Part One talked about how children form attitudes and the importance of creating a diverse environment for young children, including diversity in pictures and in dramatic play props such as dress-up clothes and food. This blog will talk about some books and films that encourage an understanding of other cultures and of immigrants to America. There are many more … Continue reading →

Dating when You Both Have Kids–Part Four–Blending Kids of Different Ages

An old friend of mine was starting to date another single parent in the midst of her divorce. She had two little girls that were pre-school age and he had three girls aged 2 to age 7. They were a very active pack when they all got together. When they eventually moved in together, a big part of the adjustment came in just trying to get all the kids to get used to each other. Other single parents who date each other have just the opposite problem–the kids are at such disparate ages that they have a difficult time trying … Continue reading →