A site for parents of teens striving for sanity
Paul Castronovo of Big 105.9 FM has been a radio personality in South Florida for decades. He also has another role that he is just as proud of — being a dad. Now that Castronovo’s son, AJ, has become a teenager, Paul is experiencing the challenges of fatherhood that many parents of teenagers confront on a daily basis. We had a fun conversation…
I am watching the Today Show, actually I’m listening to it on my car radio, when Savannah Guthrie describes motherhood as “messy.” Yes, Savannah that’s the word I would use, too. Motherhood in 2018 is messy. When you are the mother of young children, the mess is literal. Fingerprints on sliding glass doors, spilled juice in restaurants, filthy soccer cleats staining your carpets….
It’s here…that stressful time of year when a meltdown can happen at any given moment. As the school year closes out, the stakes get higher with final exams and parenting gets tougher. Push your teenager too hard and he or she could rebel or turn into a bundle of nerves. Don’t push enough and a poor or mediocre grade can kill your teen’s…
It’s midnight and I’m pacing around my house waiting for my 16-year-old son to get home. His driving curfew (according to the law for 16-year-old in Florida) is 11 p.m. I’m fuming. My husband is sound asleep. I have a tracking app on my phone but it has stopped working. I am not sure why. For the last hour, every time I thought about calling…
I am not a political person whatsoever, and I have never been to a march in my life. However, as you know, my son Matthew is a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. So, attending the March For Our Lives in Parkland was something I felt compelled to do for obvious reasons. I am sure many people have various reasons for attending March For…
I watched one by one as more than two dozen students and parents of victims of the school shooting took the stage at the MarchForOurLives rally in Parkland, Florida, on Saturday, March 24, and gave their speeches. I listened. I cheered. I cried. I felt inspired. The students are 14, 15, 16 and 17 years olds, and all of them spoke from the heart. They…
I long for the days of being a teenager and looking forward to spring break. Right about now, most teens are exhausted, crabby and tired of school. My son complains almost every day about how much work teachers are piling on and how other students are becoming annoying. As a parent, I can tell you I’m suffering along with him as we head into…
As a mother of a 16-year-old son who attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where a mass shooting took place on Valentine’s Day, the last week has been a struggle to come to terms with all that has happened. It is Sunday, February 25th at 3:30 p.m. and it is time to walkover to Stoneman Douglas so my son, Matthew, can pick…
Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a mom who gets paid by the hour. A few hours into her workday, the women’s daughter had called from her high school experiencing anxiety and asked mom to pick her up early. “I just can’t walk to my class in the portable,” she told her mom. “I’m too scared. I just can’t.” This family lives…
As parents, we recognize how each of our children are different, or similar. Sometimes our personality is so different from our child’s that it is challenging to relate. So, when Jeannette Rivera-Lyles proposed an blog post on raising an introvert, I LOVED the idea. As a mom, I have struggled with how to relate to an introvert. Jeannette tells us her experience and brings in…