Parenting
The New “Everyone Does It”… 4 Important Talking Points with your Teenager about Vaping
Remember that commercial- the one with the lady who smoked through the open hole in her neck? Debi Austin first appeared on television in 1996, telling viewers she began smoking at age 13 and could never quit. In a raspy smoker’s voice, Austin told the camera,...
Does a Piece of Plastic Buy Self Esteem?
I remember it so well. My now college-age son played on a recreation youth basketball team as a little fella. They were terrible, maybe scored 4 points in a game, if they were lucky. They were so bad it was cute… kinda. At the end of the season I mentioned to my...
After High School, the No is as Good as the Yes
Life likes to play tricks on us. High school seniors start the year looking forward to the “Best year of high school”. They envision the joys of being the kings of the school, the leaders, the cool kids, the ones coasting into graduation. They can smell their cap...
Staying Connected To The Village That Raised My Son
There is something to be said for people who know your history, especially people who you have raised your kids with. It’s a bond, a connection, a union that reminds you of a time in your life when were exhausted, busy, and worn-down. A time in your life where...
Keeping Up With the Wiotosots
It used to be we had to keep up with the Joneses-- the fictional family who had it all. That morphed into Keeping with the Kardashians- another somewhat fictional family who capitalized on pretending to have it all and used social media to skyrocket themselves to...
Dear Middle Child
Dear Middle Child, I see you. It sucks not being the oldest (hello privileges) and not being the youngest (hello baby). You’re caught in the middle and you’ve had to carve your own title in our crazy family. You remind us often that your older brother is cherished,...
Being a Lit Parent Doesn’t Mean Pulling Out the Wine
We have the English language. We have Sign Language. We have Foreign Language. We have Unspoken Language. And then we have Teenage Language. Of all the languages, Teenage Language is the most difficult to learn. So much of what our teenager says actually means...
What Lies Beneath the Uniform
So young. So promising. So talented. Tonight, the sudden death of Washington State’s quarterback Tyler Hilinski rocked the sports world. At 21 years old, his death is tragic, devastating, and unfathomable. No death of a young person seems understandable but death...
A Mom’s Magic at Christmas
“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads” … Every year on Christmas Eve, I read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to my kids. We all sit on one bed--usually a dog pile or WWE match occurs during the...
Beyond the Whistle
High school sports are the best. Unpaid athletes coming together for the sole issue of being part of a team, representing their school and community and playing a sport they love. Sure, some do it in hopes of gaining a scholarship but since the percentage of high...
