6/23/2011 Within the last week, I’ve spoken to the new probation officer assigned to my daughter’s case, for which she’s appearing next week. I had a great conversation with the woman, and she clearly is convinced that my daughter is nothing less than a saint—two jobs, enrolling in school, “thinking of” volunteering for Habitat for Humanity…Why wouldn’t she? I talked her up for an hour, explaining that she had a tough time for a while, that she is now being…
6/23/2011 Our lives have been hectic. My stepfather died on June 5, 2011. He was 79 and in terrible health due to years of massive, addictive smoking. It caused him to have emphysema, heart problems, asthma, and a myriad of other problems. I believe he was on more than 15 medications, some of which he filled under my name or my mother’s name. He mostly self-subscribed, as he was a doctor himself. My daughter loved him very much and this…
6/2/2011 Our story always gets better! So I was having some company the other day and naturally decided to do some housecleaning. The worst room in the house? My 17-year-old’s, of course. She was at work, so I did the usual stuff—picked up the dirty clothes and put them in the hamper, threw away the abundant trash, made the bed…then I needed to vacuum, so I picked up the random junk off the floor, including a nice small box by…
6/2/2011 I think my daughter is a schlimazel—you know, the one who doesn’t do the stuff all the time, the one who it gets done TO. I think it was explained as the schlemiel spills the soup and the schlimazel is the one it’s spilled on. For her, she’s done relatively well overall. No accidents, no tickets, no arrests, not too many bad moods, and not even staying out late. So, we blindly carry on, trying to forget about the…
5/10/2011 I’ll cut right to the chase. I came home, smelled something funny in my house, and saw my daughter opening windows and lighting incense. I couldn’t believe it–my daughter had been smoking pot in my house. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but when I saw the leaves in the toilet and a butt on the bathroom sink, it was too late. I was beyond…words. She tried to lie, but it was a futile. I caught her….
5/3/2011 My formerly troubled teen and I have been working so hard on our relationship, which is based on trust and mutual respect—like adults would have. I work like a madwoman to not get angry over the small stuff because it gets me nowhere with her and does very little for me. We recently (I’m talking in the last few days) moved from a rented townhouse to our own home. I worked very hard to make this happen and handled…
4/14/2011 I admit it, I’m a fan of reality TV, and I’m a regular viewer of Teen Mom. It’s not that I relate to that program, it’s that there but for the grace of God goes my family. I have two teenage daughters and my “troubled teen” began being sexually active around the age of 15 (that’s what she has told me, though kids lie and she has done quite a bit of lying). I’m glad that Teen Mom depicts…
4/11/2011 Better than feeling like the prettiest girl at the ball is feeling like the best mom in the world! I had a splendid day with my daughter yesterday—one of our Sunday “dates.” I honestly thought it was going to be a bust because she overslept for work and ended up being an hour late. I figured she’s call me and tell me that she was going to need a nap after work, which automatically derails any plans we might…
I can honestly say, I’ve been there, done that. Been through the drug ordeal with my daughter. Her drug of choice? Ecstasy. Lovely, huh? I was the last to know, too, because I was too trusting and extremely naïve. I never thought I would be someone who’d be so clueless—I’m smart, a former middle school teacher, and aware of the world. I just wasn’t aware of what was going on under my nose. It’s a hard pill to swallow to…
4/8/2011 I have a daily battle with both my daughters about organization. I back off most of the time and try to look at their positive contributions—despite anything they’ve ever done or not done, said or not said, they are my life and bring my more joy than I can explain. That doesn’t mean they don’t drive me crazy. My older daughter has moved out and can now irritate her roommates with her sloppiness and disorganization and it doesn’t affect…