Halloween is just around the corner, and my kids have already planned out expensive and ornate costumes only available online or in specialty stores. Tickets are on sale for elaborate theme park Halloween events with all the bells and whistles and price tag, too. What happened to good old hay rides, neighborhood haunted houses and parties, and homemade costumes? When I was younger, we greatly anticipated these simple activities in preparation for our night of trick-or-treating. To those spoiled with changing seasons, a Florida fall may seem somewhat boring. It’s rare to witness changing …

I have been working since age 11. An entrepreneur from the start, I got my strong work ethic from my father. I wasn’t going to make anything of myself just sitting at home. Starting out as a babysitter for my neighbor, I landed a regular gig every Saturday night earning me $20 cash. I thought I was loaded and it was the easiest money ever. When I turned 14, I pushed my parents to allow me to get a “real” job. The rule in my home was that my grades came first and transportation, if provided, had to work with other family members’ schedules.  I also had to save a percentage of what I made by …

This past weekend, I turned off the A/C and opened all the windows. I welcomed the cool fresh air as summer finally seemed to take a sabbatical to allow fall to make an early debut. Not taking a chance that this may just be a teaser, I took full advantage of the beautiful weather. It was the perfect end to a very stressful and long week at work. It also turned out to be an opportunity to spend dedicated time with my son, enjoying the outdoors together. We made a great dinner at home on Friday, followed by a night walk around the neighborhood. The sky was clear, and the moon was bright. My son…

House rules seemed much simpler when I was growing up, and they were inherently understood. There were no discussions, no debates; the rules were the rules, and that was that. Once I became a teenager, curfews were set and they were enforced. When I was a freshman in high school, I had to be home by 10 p.m., a curfew that was extended by a meager half hour each consecutive year until I graduated.   I thought this was ridiculous and restricting. My mom used to tell me that she could not go to sleep until she knew all of us were home safely. At the time, I felt my parents were being …

Our kids teach us the most basic but poignant lessons in their everyday efforts. They don’t even realize the power they hold in their small hands and whimsical smiles. Sometimes I step back and just observe my children in their daily personas — how they interact with one another, how they step through making a decision on their own or how they take on a new challenge. However, many times as a parent I try to anticipate every moment, disappointment or obstacle, and I quickly jump in to break the fall, buffer the outcome or avoid what I know will be hurt feelings. I am very guilty of doing this…

I hate homework. Sometimes I feel that it’s a punishment for parents. It’s the one part of the school year that I don’t look forward to even though I know it’s beneficial for students. At the end of my workday, my brain is fried. Coming home to exhausted kids, it’s no small feat to get them motivated to crack open the books and get their work done at a reasonable hour. A few weeks into the new school year, homework assignments have already come pouring in. It’s a big transition for my sixth grader to go from one main teacher to seven. Half the battle at this age is for kids to remember all …

If you have a child who has played a sport, then you are familiar with the time and commitment involved in being part of a team. Whether playing a field sport or in an organization, the schedule can be grueling on everyone. When kids reach a point of exhaustion or frustration, it’s not uncommon to hear them say they want to quit.  As parents, we try to teach our kids about commitment and follow through and encourage involvement that will foster team-building and self esteem. But when should a parent consider allowing a child to quit?   Sometimes parents should push to keep their kids going, …

The other night, my daughter’s cellphone sat on the kitchen counter, repeatedly beeping as multiple text messages beckoned her attention. She was asleep in her room, unaware she had left her phone out. She normally guards it with her life, never leaving it accessible. I hesitated but decided to pick up her phone and scroll through a few of her recent text messages, something I have never done before. Earlier this summer, my daughter and a friend were caught sneaking out of my house one night. They were busted by intercepted text messages her friend’s mother discovered a week later. My …

When it comes to conceiving children, staggering advancements over the years have made conception possible from test tubes, donors and surrogates. However a baby comes to be, finding out its sex used to be dependent upon the aid of medical staff and impossible to predict with high accuracy before 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. In recent years, several over-the-counter gender prediction tests have become available at pharmacies and online. These at-home tests include urine tests that detect gender-specific hormones as early as 10 weeks. With proper use, these tests claim to predict a baby's sex …

I hate shopping. I just didn't get the shopping gene, but somehow it doubled up in my daughter’s DNA. Lucky me. For weeks now, my soon-to-be high school freshman has been strategizing and mapping out her back-to-school wardrobe spree, calculating every detail based on her given budget. She's spent countless hours creating outfits with paired accessories online to ensure that she would know where and what to buy down to the very last dollar. The impending shopping day is something I’ve dreaded all summer. Not only did my daughter want to make an epic day out of it, she also wanted me to go to …

I bet you never thought that when you had kids you wouldn’t be able to take them out in public. That day has come, parents, and I have mixed feelings about this new trend. When my kids were younger, it was extremely difficult to listen to any bit of raised volume, let alone high-pitched squealing. There’s just something about a child’s shrill screams that can be bloodcurdling to parents, let alone others. Kids come with these boisterous antics that are part of the package — all parents deal with this issue at one point or another.   If I don’t want to hear it from my own kids, I know others …

I’m convinced that my 14-year-old daughter is a bat. A DNA test might prove my theory, but based on sheer observation, science isn’t necessary to convince me.  It’s 10 p.m., and the house is winding down for the night – everyone except the bat. She scurries around in her cave generating clatter to warn that her “day” is just about to begin.  Clanking noises and the sounds of furniture sliding across her bedroom floor echo into the hallway as she has a sudden burst of energy to rearrange her space.  Her door suddenly flies open, banging against freshly painted walls, and she makes her debut …

I feel as if I’m in a rut and can’t pass Go to collect my $200. When I made the decision to have kids, I knew that there would be compromise. No one expects to bring new life into this world without having to make major adjustments and sacrifices. It’s expected, and it would be foolish to think that you could continue with things as they were before. It's not possible. Your entire routine and responsibilities are flipped upside down, inside out and multiplied by infinity. You are now responsible for the well-being of another person. That’s big and overwhelming, but exciting and rewarding at …

The saying that it gets easier as kids get older is the biggest lie ever. I was in the grocery store skimming over coffee flavors when I overheard what sounded like a trainwreck heading around the corner.  I looked up to see a young mother, disheveled and out of breath, trudging behind one of those obnoxious kid carts that are nearly impossible to turn corners with (clearly not designed by a woman). With a screaming infant in the front lap seat, another child climbing out of the plastic car and an older child pleading for his mother to buy something she had no intention of getting, she had …

It’s as if I just woke up one morning to find that something had taken over my child.  My son had always been verbally and physically affectionate with me, often wooing admiring women at the grocery store. On his own accord, he would wrap his arms around me as I stood in line and say with his soft but confident voice, “Mom, I love you.” I could feel mothers and grandmothers around me melting at his sweet and self-motivated gesture. It happened on many occasions, and I was always very proud knowing that I was a coveted recipient and the envy of others. My child was not embarrassed to display …

Thumping around the house with one black heel on, I was on a quest to find its missing mate. I had five minutes to throw myself together and head out the door. After giving up on the search, I opted for a different pair of shoes and realized I had one minute to spare. Throwing my laptop case over my shoulder, I simultaneously reached into my purse to feel around for my keys. Women have an amazing way of sensing items with our hands. It’s as if we have a pair of eyes on our fingertips. Lipstick, eyeliner, pack of gum... I moved to the other pocket. Suddenly, I felt something foreign, and I …

Just a few days ago, my daughter’s friend told me that she wants to lose 12 pounds by the end of the summer. My jaw almost hit the floor. She is a beautiful girl who has really come into her own in the past year. She’s 5-foot-8 with a petite frame and long, ash-blond hair. There is not an inch of extra skin on this girl, and I think she should put a few pounds on. What does she see when she looks in the mirror? My daughter is 5-foot-3 with a more muscular build like her father. She is strong, toned and athletic. She’s not as petite as most of her friends, but she has a very healthy frame. She…

It was the summer before my eighth grade year in middle school and I was spending the night at my friend’s house. Her bedroom was at the front of her house facing the street, making it easy for us to keep watch. It was around 11 p.m. and for us the night was just getting started. She’s a fellow redhead so we were always a dangerous combination. Volume cranked up on the stereo, we locked the bedroom door and started executing our plan. We slid out the screen of her old six-panel window. We had to pop out two of them to make enough crawl space to climb through. Once outside we dashed to the end…

Growing up, I never felt as if my twin brother and I were any less part of the family. There are obvious differences in our physical traits. My sisters are Italian and German and very tan. I on the other hand am a fair redhead with hazel green eyes and freckles. Our personalities are remarkably different as well. This has made me question whether personality is more strongly influenced by biological or social factors. The circumstances of my adoption never concerned me and I never really pressed to know the reason why.  I have had no animosity towards my birth parents for making the decision …

My daughter and her “pack” have already started mapping out their summer social strategy complete with sleep over schedules, concerts and many other time consuming plans.  As a kid I remember the smell of summer.  I remember deep breaths of freshly cut grass, the simmering asphalt and the burning of charcoal from backyard barbecues. I would get my first whiff as I walked out of school as the last bell rang. School was out and I was free.  Two months back then seemed like an eternity.  I remember falling asleep in my bathing suit after late night swims and waking up as late as I wanted. Those …