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Category: Parental burnout

I Love My Kids So Much That I Wish I Never Had Them

I Love My Kids So Much That I Wish I Never Had Them

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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 only had one bad day—after a lunch with a high school friend who’s parents are very wealthy and give her everything on a silver platter,…

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Almost Good-Bye

Almost Good-Bye

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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 situation. I have to give her credit and lots of respect for this. I also must give her due credit for being aware of money,…

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The Five Stages of My Parental Guilt

The Five Stages of My Parental Guilt

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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, knowing that I parented them equally—with equal values, equal love, and equal experiences—their perspectives, personalities, and personas are vastly different. That said, my guilt these…

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The Biggest Lies My Daughter Has Told Me (Thus Far!)

The Biggest Lies My Daughter Has Told Me (Thus Far!)

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8/24/2011 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 the time, but 50% of the time I can’t really prove anything and 50% of the time I punish her in some way but it doesn’t change her behavior. She’s either…

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Rolling My Eyes, Which Are Swirling Out of their Sockets

Rolling My Eyes, Which Are Swirling Out of their Sockets

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8/8/2011 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 what they call a pre-adjudication hearing. Essentially, she had to plead guilty for a shoplifting charge, apologize for it, and they would formally drop all the other pending charges. Then…

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Get Out! Sneaky Kids and Prying Parents Make a Toxic Mix

Get Out! Sneaky Kids and Prying Parents Make a Toxic Mix

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7/11/2011 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 is that teens demand—and parents grant them—more privacy.  Children have few expectations for privacy from parents. Adolescents expect more. Late adolescents and adults expect a great deal of control over what information…

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Do You Have Parental Burnout?

Do You Have Parental Burnout?

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6/24/2011 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. Must be patient, loving, wise, dependable, and organized. Must be able to cook, sew, shop, clean, and quickly learn new methods necessary for keeping a household happy and cared for….

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