9/26/2012 How does so much time go by? Life changes so quickly and I keep forgetting to chronicle all the adventures and important minutiae. As of August 1, 2012, my formerly troubled teen moved back in with me. I asked her to, believe it or not. I didn’t like the way she was living—her apartment was dirty and, even though I went over to clean it every now and again, it was painful to see how gross she decided to…
12/6/2011 Some recent facts and findings: I found a homemade bong made from a plastic water bottle. The thing was configured with a hole punched in the side and tin foil around the lip, and the smell was obvious. It was right on my daughter’s floor—I was just looking for the lint brush. My daughter allowed me a peek into how bad she used to be. She said whenever she was with a particular friend, they were high on ecstasy or Xanax…
11/23/2011 Today is Wednesday, but let me backtrack to Tuesday night. I’m a sucker. I won’t learn. I always trust, hope, and pray that things will be better. We didn’t fight Tuesday morning when I drove her to work. There was little communication throughout the day. This deserves a mention—until this past week, she was conscientious about calling me each day and updating me and just sort of checking in. Now the secretiveness is back in spades. When I got…
10/26/2011 Just when I thought it was going to be smooth sailing, the water got rough and salty again. I had my mom over to help me put up curtains, and before we could get open the package to the double rod set, troubled daughter called me—totally hysterical. She had been in another accident. She was on her way somewhere on the freeway, and the driver in front of her slammed on their brakes, causing my daughter to slam on…
10/21/2011 Brain scans show risk is more fun when friends watch. Published on October 16, 2011 by Nancy Darling, Ph.D. I love Car Talk, NPR’s car centered talk show starring Tom and Ray Maggliozi. The Car Guys claim that many of the dumbest things ever done are preceded by the immortal words Hey guys! Watch this! I think they call them “famous last words.” They must know a lot about teenagers. Adolescents and Risk Adolescents are known for taking risks. Although generally healthy, they spend…
10/21/2011 I agonized a bit over how to broach the subject of the tattoo with “troubled teen.” At first I was angry and wanted to lecture and yell like the old me. Then, after a day went by (we sometimes go two or three days without crossing paths, so this was normal), I was calmer. I talked to my boyfriend who’s had his share of experiences in this regard, and he shed some light on the subject. Our discussion, if…
Tattoos may deposit more than color underneath the skin. Like car paint pigments. And lead. These are just a couple of the substances that scientists have discovered taint some tattoo inks, raising safety concerns over the widely popular but loosely regulated industry. “Consumers should be aware of the fact that we really don’t know what’s being injected,” warns Linda Katz, director of the Office of Cosmetics and Colors at the Food and Drug Administration. At the moment, the FDA doesn’t…
10/17/2011 So the fall/early winter is birthdayville in my family. Me: September; older daughter: October; my sister: November; toddler nephew: December; and “troubled teen:” December. As my girls get older, it’s more and more impossible to be creative with gifts. A set of nail polishes in a cute box or a CD of a pop band used to go pretty far—now the gifts need to be meaningful and that often means expensive. Troubled teen made it easy for me this…
7/15/2011 I never realized how critical it is to continually discuss personal safety with your teenage girls. I mean, I knew it was important, of course, and I have in a general sense, but you never think it’s going to apply to your family. But I was wrong. My older daughter was accosted on her way home from the gym last night. She lives in another city in a neighboring state, so she couldn’t call me to come help. I…