By Mary Rarick

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I decided that it was time for our sixteen-year-old son to have his own cell phone. Our thinking went something like this: summer’s here and the cell phone would afford our son more freedom and responsibility. So we added limitless texting, crossed our fingers and handed off my husband’s old EnV2.

The results have been better than expected. We’ve eliminated our land line, saving us $23 a month; we can reach my son any time, so his “leash” is a little longer; he’s taken responsibility for handling the details of his social life, coordinating get-togethers and keeping us informed.

First impression: success!

By Mary Rarick

Have you had the what-to-do-when-you’re-stopped-by-the-police talk with your kids? If not, I’m guessing your kids are white.

The unwarranted shooting of Aaron Campbell has everyone questioning whether or not  race was one of the factors. What most acknowledge, yet few openly admit, is that, sadly, it probably was. (more…)

Jesse, Spring 2000

By Mary Rarick

Stepping out of my bedroom this afternoon I found my fifteen-year-old son sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor directly outside my door. He was waiting for me to emerge so that he could enlist me to assist him in drumming up a fun afternoon activity.

Long ago my children have learned not to say “I’m bored.” So instead he approached me with a desire for input and, since none of his friends were available, a partner in crime.

When the kids were younger I kept a list of child-friendly ideas upon which I relied heavily. Don’t know what to do in the summer? Not a problem. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

I’ve been looking for a book like this for several years now but only came across this one last week. What’s Going on Down There?, by Karen Gravelle, is the perfect complement to having “the talk” with your prepubescent teen boy. Described as “part manual, part older brother” the book covers puberty for boys from A to Z.

As you may know, there are myriad books for tween girls on the topic, but I’ve found it difficult to find a well-written book for boys. Thankfully, you can even borrow this great find from your local library.

By Linda Cohen

In March, my daughter won the lottery. We were elated. She had been accepted to one of the public school learning options and soon she would attend the school for her shadow day. The school has an arts focus and we all felt this would be the best fit for her. None of us had ever stepped foot in the school until a few weeks before the lottery, so her desire was all based on hearsay. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

Why is it that all of the most important conversations initiated by my son begin around 9:15 p.m.? It’s always as I’m ushering him in the door after a high school game, trying to encourage him to turn in for the night that he starts in with an interesting piece of information, you know, something he could have mentioned at 4:00 p.m. when he first walked through the door after school. But, no. It had to wait.

Last night it was some interesting tidbits about the project he’s planning for his Computers in Art class. Evidently he’s supposed to show the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill” using stock photos he finds on the web. So he started to explain how he was going to use an image of the sun behind another image to create an effect…and all the while I’m just half listening, because I’m in the middle of something myself.

This scenario plays itself out all too often in our household. Having realized this now I suppose I need to figure out what to do about it, right?