Sometimes I feel like I am holding my breath while raising my teen. I am hoping I will be able to exhale once the coast is clear and the teen years are behind me.
But for now, it feels like the worries of raising a teenager never end or go away.
I try not to worry. but, it’s in my DNA..
With my son, I worry about all kinds of things….
Are his grades slipping?
Is he eating properly?
Is he happy?
Is he depressed?
Will he go to a good college?
Will he do well on his SAT?
Will he be more social as he gets older?
Is he getting bullied?
Is he having sex?
Is he wearing a condom?
Is he lying to me?
Is he keeping things from me?
Did he try any drugs? Will he?
Crazy right?
I long for the day when all my worries are gone, and I can exhale and breathe and say to myself, “Okay, now you can relax.” But, to be honest, I don’t see that day arriving any time soon. So for now, I take life one day at a time, one breath at a time, one prayer at a time.
Do you worry, too? I would love to get your feedback and hear whether other parents of teens feel this way? Any advice?
So sophomore year has started for my teenage son and yet another year of high school has begun. When my daughter was in high school I could rely on her telling me about all the school drama, her teachers, what’s happening in school. But, with my son, I get… crickets crickets (silence). I have to probe, pull, nag, or interrogate just to find out what is going on? Every time I ask a questions I am “annoying” or I am “bothering” him. I have never felt so disconnected from my teen son. I know high school years are not easy for teen boys, but does he really have to shut mom out?
Matthew tells me school is hard and stressful and not like it was in the 70s when I went to school. Hello…. I graduated high school in 1985, thank you very much. I am NOT that old. I just want to be closer to my son, but the closer I try to get, the more he pushes away. I try to give him his space, but anytime I enter his room he doesn’t want to talk. He would rather play video games, or talk with his friends on the phone. I know this is a phase, but I really don’t like it at all!!!
I try to tell myself that I went through this with Olivia and this too shall pass. When I drive Matthew to school it’s dead silence in the car. I try to start a conversation, but he uses one word answers. I know it’s an awkward stage, but I’m your mom! The person you looked up to and couldn’t live without just five years ago.
There are rare moments when Matthew will open up. But those are few and far between. If he texts me, it’s about food or clothes he wants me to get for him. It’s funny how Olivia will text me all day long from college, and yet my son won’t text me at all. I guess the level of communication is the difference between having a teenage daughter and son.
I guess I am struggling with giving him space, but not too much space, because in the end it’s my responsibility to make sure he makes smart choices and does the right things.
I enter his room every day when I get home and give him a hug. When he hugs me back, it makes me feel so happy. I need him to know how much I love him, even though it’s awkward for him now. I usually go in his room a few more times before I go to bed and I’ll even get in a kiss on his head. I know he loves me, and I truly believe he feels awkward showing affection to me. I just want to connect with him and for the life of me, I just can’t figure out how?
I would love to hear if any other moms or dads have had this issue with their teen son, and what you did to overcome it?
I know just this stage in my son’s life will pass, and I will get my Matthew back, but in the meantime, I will breathe, be patient, take one day at a time and make sure he stays on the right path.
I thought I would share with the readers, Olivia’s college room decor which is a reflection of her love with the Tiffany blue color.
When your child puts together their college room it is very personal and a huge part of telling their other roommates who they are. Olivia loves her room. It’s her study room, her TV room, her resting room, her safe place, her sanctuary.
I know after class, she looks forward to crashing in her bed and either taking a nap, doing homework, studying or watching Netflix.
This is her home away from home that she created for herself and that mom and dad help her put together.
We would love to hear or see pictures from your college student’s “sanctuary.” Please share!
Olivia’s first night in her new apartment at college had some bumps, but to her they felt more like mountains.
First, her closet shelf with ALL her clothes fell.
The property manager sent someone the next day to install a new shelf.
Then, Olivia texted me frantically that she had a water leak under her bathroom sink and the bathroom’s electric outlet wasn’t working. I told her to let the management know and they would fix it.
The next disaster: Her Internet wasn’t working either. For Olivia the college student, the world was coming to an end! She was very anxious and overwhelmed and like a lot of impatient teens, wanted everything fixed — NOW!
Instant Gratification
This generation is so use to instant gratification that if God forbid they have to wait for a resolution, the world as they know it is over. Teens are so used to technology helping them speed along whatever they want or need. Well, that wasn’t happening here. There wasn’t an app for instant repairs…with all the students moving into the complex at the same time, Olivia had to wait …it’s called a process.
I told Olivia this was part of growing up, dealing with issues and hurdles and knowing how to get them resolved. Patience is key and Olivia didn’t have any. She just wanted to move into an apartment and have everything perfect. Mind you, these are MINOR issues that can be resolved rather quickly and management did take care of them eventually, but in that moment, to Olivia, all the issues were overwhelming and HUGE!
Mom — and grandma — to the rescue
Olivia needed mom to help her see how minor her issues were in the big picture. However, like most teens, Olivia decided to go on Instagram and post about her bad day. That’s when grandma stepped in. (Yes, grandma is on Instagram!) Olivia’s grandmother (Manolaeva) saw Olivia’s post about all that had gone wrong and didn’t feel sorry for her one bit.
Here’s what grandma said: “This is a test of real life…that’s why I believe that most of today’s kids need to go away to college, not just for academics but also to experience some of the imperfection of life. Those are minor things. They’re fixable, and it all will be fine.”
The Resolution
At the end of the next day, everything in the apartment did get fixed. Finally, I could talk to Olivia calmly. I made her realize how minor this issues were in the bigger scheme of things. She realized it, but said it was just a lot of aggravation in one day. I just said, “Olivia, it was just a bad day. Tomorrow is a new day. It’s not how things start, but how they end that matters.” For Olivia and me, the day ended well, her school year got off to a start, and THAT is all that mattered.
Seems like yesterday but, it’s only been a year since we started shopping for Olivia’s college stuff. I knew it was going to be overwhelming, so I decided I had to do whatever I could to make it less stressful. How bad could it be? How expensive could it be? Answer: very expensive. So if you are shopping for your son’s or daughter’s dorm here are some helpful tips to get you through college move in day.
Make a list of what items your teen needs for college.
Sit down with your teen and set deadlines on what needs to get done and bought by what date.
Go over the list with your teen and make sure they approve and the list is complete.
Go online or into a store to shop for the one area you are focusing on such as the bedroom or desk, bathroom etc..
Focus on a different area until you are done with the entire dorm room or apartment.
Save some items for when you get to school. You may not want to lug a new TV or other big items with you if you are driving or flying. It’s better to buy the big stuff once you get to school.
Super Walmart is your best friend as is Bed Bath and Beyond! Your teen does not need top of the line products for college! You can pre-order everything in your hometown and pick it up at the store near campus.
Make sure you son/daughter has his or her medical insurance card in case they get sick, or for any emergency.
I know many colleges and universities have a medical clinic on campus which is great, but if your child doesn’t want to go to the clinic, I recommend a CVS Minute Clinic which is usually near campus. At CVS, you can see a doctor or nurse practitioner and get your prescriptions at the same time.
Books can be bought on Amazon to help save money. Not all classes make the books available on Amazon, but if you can save on one or two books it will be a worthwhile shopping experience.,
Now, once your son or daughter lives off campus in an apartment, that’s another shopping adventure!
Here are some more helpful hints….
Shop for each room separately (bathroom, kitchen, living room etc.) like you did for the dorm.
Pick appliances and accessories that stand out so no one else can mistake it for theirs. Olivia chose a Tiffany blue color for her pots and pans and cooking utensils.
Wait to buy some supplies for the apartment until you get there so you can take measurements and know exactly what you really need and the right size.
If there is a dollar store near campus, introduce your child to it!! Dollar stores sell a lot of what college students need for a $1! Dollar Tree allows you to order online and have items delivered to your store of choice.
Here’s an overall tip. If your son or daughter wants college gear, online stores like Fanatics.com carry a great assortment and will ship to campuses. Here’s a link to Fanatics College Hot New Products
Good luck with your college student and Happy Shopping! If you have any tips, please share with other parents!!
My son Matthew has beautiful curly wavy hair. When it is cut, it looks so good and makes him look so handsome. However, to get him to get a haircut is torture for both of us. The constant back and forth and mother-son bickering is awful.
I just don’t understand why there is a struggle every time I ask him to get a haircut. I even compromised and said he could just get his hair “trimmed.” I was desperate. He still refused.
Recently, I texted him about getting a haircut and as you can see I didn’t win. I guess I should be grateful that at least he will get his haircut before school starts
Sometimes I wonder if my son’s resistance is because how he looks and how he dresses represents his identity and that is the one thing he would like to control or have a say in. Look, I get it, for teens, how you look should be up to you and your appearance is your choice, but I also think you mom or dad should have a little say in it, right?
I am curious to find out if any other parents have had the same struggle. If so, how have you resolved the haircut battle?
My daughter, Olivia, recently told me about the Netflix show “Thirteen Reasons Why“ which is based on a novel about a young teenage girl who commits suicide and leaves 13 letters behind to explain the 13 reasons why she did it. This show is somewhat disturbing, but yet so real and mesmerizing. It’s a subject no parent wants to talk about because it is incomprehensible to think of a child committing suicide, but face it, suicide is VERY real! Ignoring or avoiding the subject could cost your child his or her life.
I have to admit, there were times I worried about Olivia. Four years ago, Olivia had a friend in high school she knew through her soccer team, Bailey Leal. I remember meeting Bailey at the end-of-year high school soccer awards dinner. At the dinner, Bailey was awarded an iron for being the “iron girl” of the varsity team. I remember thinking, “WOW, how cool is that to get an “iron” award!” Little did I know how Bailey would be impacting mine and Olivia’s lives, not to mention thousands of others.
On May 21, 2013, I received a text from Olivia saying Bailey Leal committed suicide. I remember thinking, “This must be a mistake. How can this be? ” I also remember thinking the bigger question.. “WHY?? ”
Within minutes, the news about Bailey’s suicide was all over our town. Teens were devastated and parents were numb. Olivia at the time was going through her own personal problems and this did not help. Olivia could not comprehend WHY Bailey would do this? I remember her telling me , “Mom, she was beautiful, popular, everyone loved her. She was an All-American soccer star and got a perfect score on the ACT. She had it all Mom. Why did she take her life?”
Olivia, couldn’t understand if Bailey had ALL of this going for her, what could be so awful that her only solution would be to end her life. Little did I know how fragile Olivia was and how badly this would affect her.
There were times Olivia couldn’t go to school. She couldn’t handle her emotions inside and was afraid of herself and what she was feeling. Bailey’s death brought all kinds of feelings to the surface. It made what she was feeling and thinking REAL and at the same time it scared her to death. This changed my world as well because I didn’t know how to deal with teen suicide and what the signs were and how to talk to Olivia about it. She was suffering and I didn’t know how to get through to her and help her.
Bailey’s death brought everyone together in the community, teens, parents, families. They even created a club at school called the HOPE club so kids can get together and talk about what they are feeling and deal those feelings together, no judgment. These teens had no idea how Bailey’s suicide would affect them. I know many parents became afraid that their child would be next. Bailey’s death brought awareness of how thoughts of suicide can hide behind a smile, a laugh, a hug.
The point of my blog is to keep Bailey’s spirit alive through awareness of Mental Illness. Not every parent can recognize the signs because teens are really good at hiding them. So as a parent of a teen, what should you do?
Talk to your teen!! If he or she doesn’t want to talk to you, suggest they talk to someone else. Not every teen has thoughts of committing suicide, but it’s okay to talk to them about it because they may know someone who they think does. Ignorance will not save anyone. It’s okay if your child is not okay. It is up to us, the parents, to be as involved in our teens’ lives as possible, even when they don’t want us to be.
Sad enough, teens are committing suicide because they didn’t seek any help or they felt no one could help them. They are literally suffering inside in their own hell. Parents think their child is fine or just moody or going through a hormone stage. That may not be true. Your teen may be suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder. But without really talking to them or getting them help, you won’t know until it is too late.
I have attached a video that was created for the one-year anniversary of Bailey’s death. I have to warn you, it will break your heart. You will cry. I sometimes wonder how Bailey’s family got thought her death. How did they even want to wake up in the morning? What I can tell you is that they did. It wasn’t easy, I am sure. And, I bet every day is a struggle. But Bailey’s mom is now an advocate for mental health and keeps her daughter’s memory alive through education and awareness of teen suicide. I am in awe of her because as a mom, I don’t know if I would be as strong as she has been. So, all you moms and dads and teens who are reading this blog, I hope this opens your eyes to mental illness and teen suicide and prevention.
I thought I would end with the 13 Reasons Why Not to commit suicide:
You are not alone
The pain can go away without committing suicide
There is help
The world needs you
No one can replace you
You will be missed
It will make things worse for the people/family you leave behind
Friends and family will be devastated
Your life hasn’t even begun
You can save someone’s life
You are bigger than the problem
You did not come this far in life to end it so tragically and so early.
Family dinners are supposed to be easy and nice but when the dinner is at your teen’s girlfriend/boyfriend’s house, do they get nervous or anxious because they have to try new food?
My son Matthew was invited for a family dinner at his girlfriend’s house last Saturday. Simple enough right? Wrong.
Matthew was terrified! He is a very picky eater or as he calls himself a Neophobe. Food neophobia is generally regarded as the reluctance to eat, or the avoidance of new foods. In contrast, ‘picky/fussy’ eaters reject a substantial amount of foods that are familiar (as well as unfamiliar) to them. I don’t think Matthew is a Neophobe, but I do believe he may have ARFID- Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), also previously known as selective eating disorder (SED), which is a type of eating disorder where the person limits the foods he eats based on appearance, smell, taste, texture, brand, presentation, or a past negative experience.
So, this eating problem is a BIG problem for Matthew.
Matthew gets extremely anxious when it comes to eating over people’s homes. He avoids situations where there may be food he won’t like. When Matthew was a little boy he ate everything, but when he got older his diet choices got smaller and smaller. Now mind you, Matthew is healthy and never gets sick — thank goodness– but still, his eating habits are not the greatest.
He JUST started eating sandwiches for the first time in his life — peanut butter sandwiches on Wonder bread. That in itself was a miracle! He didn’t want to start high school eating only fishies, pretzels and chocolate chip cookies for lunch. Matthew recognizes he has a problem and has been struggling to overcome his fear of new foods. I have come to learn that the more I push him, the more reluctant he becomes to try new foods.
Last year we went on a cruise and he tried the steak and loved it. So guess what he ate every night for dinner? You got it, steak and fries. Breakfast is pretty easy for Matthew, he eats cereals and waffles and pancakes and drinks 2 1/2 gallons of milk a week. So he gets a lot of Vitamin D.
Lunch and dinner are the challenges. Now that he’s a teen, he can’t eat his favorite food, chicken nuggets and french fries every day like he did when he was younger. So, he added black beans and rice in for variety but those are the only two things he will eat for dinner, To say it has been a challenge is an understatement!
So, here lies the dilemma that happened last Saturday. Matthew got invited to dinner at his girlfriend’s house! I asked him what they were having because I know Matthew hasn’t most likely eaten whatever food was being served. He said they were having “pasta”. I told him that was very broad and he needed to find out what kind of pasta. Well, it was spaghetti. Now, here I am driving him over to his girlfriend’s house and I am literally trying to calm him from his anxiety of eating the pasta. He really wanted to try to food for his girlfriend. He said this was a good test to try new foods. I told him most likely they would have the pasta with spaghetti sauce. He said, “I don’t like red sauce.” I told him he could add butter to it, but without anything it would taste bland and awful. I also told him to just ask for a small bowl and say he had a late lunch, which he did. I also told him to honest and let her parents know his fear of trying new foods so they didn’t get offended. Honesty is always best.
Matthew started to get hot in the car, even though the cold AC was running. I told him Matthew, “It’s just food. It won’t hurt you or kill you. What are you afraid of? “He said that he was afraid he wouldn’t like the taste and that it would make him sick. I then told him well we all have tried new foods we didn’t like. I tried sushi and I really really didn’t like it. But, it didn’t kill me. I thought it tasted awful, but I survived and he, too, will survive.
When I dropped him off, I told his girlfriend that he must really like her. I also told her to take a picture. So here is Matthew trying the spaghetti. I texted him asking him how it was and of course he said “okay” and “plain.” I said, “Of course it’s plain! You put nothing on it.” I told him I was proud that he tried it.
So, now you know about my Matthew and his fear and anxiety over trying new foods. Do you know anyone who suffers from the same disorder? How did they overcome it? Would love to know of some suggestions and recommendations.
Last Sunday, my son Matthew asked me if his “girlfriend” could come over? This would be the first time his “girlfriend” would be over since they have been together. Until now, Matthew has been going over her house after school. At first, I was happy that I finally get to meet her after they have been together for a month. On the other hand, I was nervous. Will she like me? Will I like her? Will she be rude? All the mom concerns were coming at me. This is really happening. Matthew is growing up! UGH!
She finally arrived and I walked into Matthew’s bedroom to introduce myself. She was cute and sweet, a typical 15-year-old teen. So far, so good. Matthew had his arm around her and was smiling, and for a second I had a weird feeling come over me; Matthew cares for someone else now. I am not his world anymore. I saw how happy he was and you know what? I was a little bit jealous. Yep, this mom was jealous of a 15 year old. I wanted Matthew to hug me and love me like he did when he was a little boy and I was his everything. Part of me was sad, but the other part was happy that this girl makes him happy.
So I left the room, and when I got into the family room, my husband told me to make sure the bedroom door is open. Well, how the heck do I do that? Do I go back and open the door and embarrass them? Matthew would kill me for embarrassing him. I texted him to please keep the door open and you know what? I walked back toward his room and the door was open! That was easy! I was expecting a text back from him arguing with me about it.
I would love to know if other parents experienced this situation and how they handled it. What is your door policy when a girlfriend or boyfriend is over? Open? Closed? Cracked? Inquiring mom wants to know.
I recently reviewed a book called The Boss of Me…is Me andwas impressed, horrified, scared out of my wits and grateful to the authors all at the same time. The authors have written an eye-opening book about how social media can lure teens into some scary and awful life-altering situations. They give some edgy scenarios as real-life examples. One of the most shocking was about a young teen who had befriended an 18-year-old on Facebook, slipped unnoticed from her home to meet him, and walked into her death trap. As I was reading the book, all I kept thinking was how I could so see this happening.
The book is filled with tips and intended to empower teens with the life skills they need to be the boss of their own thoughts, attitudes and actions. The authors address a variety of relevant issues including suicide, shoplifting, child molestation and runaways. The book is designed to equip teens to think and act quickly to avoid going down a path that ends in death, prison and suicide. It basically helps prevent teens from becoming a victim and a statistic. As a mom of two teens, these scenarios scare the heck out of me and infuriate me at the same time! I am still shaking my head that these threats to our teens are really happening in our society, but I shouldn’t be.
I like that this guidebook helps teach teens that there is always a way out of these awful situations they get themselves into, often because of their social media activities. The guidebook is in a notebook form so teens can write in it and basically have a lifetime of references when completed! The notebook does not come in a digital format because the authors wanted to ensure parental supervision however, the guidebook is in digital format. The guidebook empowers parents to facilitate and engage in conversations with their teen and that’s what is most important! Without the parents being a facilitator, your teen wouldn’t learn or grasp the true meaning and value of the message(s) the authors are trying to convey.
Parents, because you haven’t physically seen or been exposed to this DOES NOT MEAN it’s not happening or could not happen to you and your kids. Your child could be a victim! No one is immune. Educate, be aware and talk to you kids. Better yet, BUY them this book so they can learn first hand about the crimes that are happening to teens.
As a parent, I encourage you to have them read it! Get the electronic version since you know teens prefer technology to actual books. I hope this books builds awareness but most importantly, saves lives.
Here is a link if you wish to purchase The Boss of Me…is ME ! It is also available at www.cablepublishing.com, Amazon, and all major bookstores. (25% of all proceeds will be donated to The Youth Connection in Detroit, MI.)
By the way, the authors’ backgrounds are impressive: June Werdlow Rogers is a retired federal agent with a PhD in criminology, Rayfield Rogers Jr is a retired district chief of security for a school district in Michigan, Grenae´ Dudley PhD is CEO of a youth center.
Parents if you have encountered scary scenarios with your teen as a result of social media, or know someone who can relate, please share your stories.
Hi! We’re Cindy Goodman and Raquel Alderman, mom bloggers and former co-workers. We created the Raising Teens blog so parents of teens would have a friendly place to discuss their challenges and triumphs. Join us in the conversation as we ride through the turbulent teen years together. It may be a bumpy ride but we will be right there with you.
can be bought on Amazon to help save money. Not all classes make the books available on Amazon, but if you can save on one or two books it will be a worthwhile shopping experience.,
What do other parents think?