Motherhood is a trip . . . are we there yet?
3/8/2016 So yesterday, I wrote an update on my daughter to remind myself of how far she’s come. And it’s true, she has, and I’m very proud of her in general. But today, I’m really frustrated with her for being so evasive–for days. She communicates a little—in snippets—and leaves me hanging. I don’t get it….
12/21/2012 I wasn’t too thrilled when my daughter told me she was moving out again, but she made all the arrangements and really seemed to be ready to go. She has a hard time living with me and maintaining all her secrets, I guess. She’s been out of the house for a couple of weeks,…
11/27/2012 My formerly troubled daughter is moving out again. This time, she’s not in trouble, she’s not moving in with a boyfriend, and she’s not angry. She’s simply ready to move out and be out from under my iron fist. Ha. Iron fist. Since she moved home in the summer, I’ve barely seen her and…
7/23/2012 I know that sounds absolutely horrible, but this comes after a beautiful three-week visit with my 20-year-old. She came home to unwind from her life in the Bay Area, which frankly is better than my life. She spent her time flitting from friend to friend, hanging out with me, and reconnecting with her somewhat-troubled-teen-whom-this-blog-is-about-sister. She…
12/15/2011 It’s the countdown to having a real empty nest. Not one of those false alarms from age 16, then age 17. This is a well thought-out version of my daughter moving out. Even though I don’t agree with some of her plans, she has solid plans this time and she’s actually being very mature about the…
12/9/2011 Underneath it all, I have a tremendous amount of guilt. I have bouts where I feel so damn guilty about who and what my daughter has become, even though logically I know that much of what’s happened is inherent in her, and is her doing. I see how successful my other child is and,…
Original Publish Date: August 24, 2011 I admit it, I’ve been duped a thousand times by my daughter, and despite knowing it, I continue to fall for her lies. I think it’s wishful thinking that “this time,” she is finally being straightforward and I have nothing to worry about. I catch her in lies all…
Original Publish Date: August 8, 2011 I am a mother in despair, in a crisis emotionally and it’s taken me two days to process why I had another lost weekend, time I will never get back. As usual, there’s a long, involved reason. Last week, my “troubled teen” had her final (??) day in court, for…
Original Publish Date: July 22, 2011 Do parents who pry know more about their teen’s lives? Published on April 11, 2011 by Nancy Darling, Ph.D. in Thinking About Kids I knew my youngest was entering adolescence, when my daily mucking out of his backpack was met with a yell. “Get out! That’s MINE!” One of the hallmarks of adolescence…
Original Publish Date: June 24, 2011 I seriously thought this was quiz that was created with ME in mind. See what you think and what it all means here: DO YOU HAVE PARENTAL BURNOUT?Here’s a help-wanted ad you won’t see in your local paper: Seeking woman with energy, willing to work twenty-four hours a day….