Increasingly my children characterize my husband and I as the supporting idiots in their lives. Intellectually, I get it.
The most important woman in my life (rest in peace, mom) never talked to me - or my two sisters or my brother - about sex. Zilch about menstruation, pubic hair, hormones, intercourse or conception. We snuck our tampons, bras, and birth control into the house like Cold War spies. It was a surreal way to go through adolesc
I was a college counselor for five years, from 1999 to 2004, working with high school juniors and seniors on a daily basis. I loved the job; it was fun, the kids trusted me and confided in me, and it kept me young in a way that few other things ever could or will again.
When I was in high school in the late 80’s, we had a strict dress code that included no shorts, no skirts shorter than your fingertips when your arms were extended straight down, no hats, no halter tops, and if I am not mistaken, no tank tops. Any student that did not abide by these dress codes set forth by the school was sent home immediately.
In my continued struggle with boundaries and appropriate parenting, I found myself at dinner last night with my boyfriend, his daughter and her boyfriend - talking about bongs, sensimilla and one-hitters, oh my.
"Be prepared."
It's not just the Boy Scout motto, it's also what parents want for their kids.
When they were five, you prepared their lunches. When they turned 12, you prepared them for puberty (or at least you tried!). And now, the time has come to prepare them for the real world: life after high school or college.
These are going to be the best years of your kid's life, but there's a few basic things they need to know before they go off on their own:
For the past five days, the streets outside of L.A.'s Nokia Theatre have been occupied by the most hardcore "twihards" - more than 1,400 in fact - all waiting in anticipation for the premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I," which will take place tonight (November 14).
After watching all three Twilight flicks in two days, and reading all four books in just 2.5 days - I'm nothing if not thorough - I think it's safe to say I'm officially a Twihard... or Twilight Mom. Maybe even insane according to Robert Pattinson's most recent quotes from the Twilight Convention in L.A.
I was driving home from a delivery when I saw her. Long, dark, curly hair knotted at her neck, jean jacket that looked two sizes too small, and a hint of red sweater, just not enough to cover the bare roll above her belt-line. It gave me a tummy-ache just wondering how she could breathe, let alone move her arms, and not to mention the goose bumps. I almost thought she was wearing a white life buoy and that certainly was the message that came across. “Save me!”
I picked up my son and his friend from the bus stop. It was only my second time in the carpool rotation and I was still feeling my way around the social life of teenage boys. I suspected their lack of interaction might indicate a rift, but I knew enough to keep quiet until I dropped Mark at his door.
