Author Archives: admin

I always find the pictures on the front of parenting books a little unrealistic, only to the extent that many family portraits look unrealistic—the whole family at their best, smiling really big, arms around each other. Don’t get me wrong, … Continue reading →

“How was your day?” “Fine.” “How was school?” “Same as always.” “Much homework?” “Nope.” “Anything exciting happen?” “Naw.” “Nice talking with you.” Is it just me? Or do our kids have PhD’s in one-word answers? I just got back from … Continue reading →

I’ve been looking for a venue to introduce my new parenting workshop, “Get Your Teenagers Talking,” so when Doug Fields called me a few weeks ago and asked me to teach the parenting track at their FAM Conference, May 10-12 … Continue reading →

My daughter Alyssa is a junior this year. The junior year brings numerous ‘rites of passage’ for a teenage girl. For Alyssa, it’s the year that she got her driver’s license, began working, took the SAT’s… and it’s also the … Continue reading →

Ashley isn’t so quick to laugh at my jokes these days. It’s not that we don’t laugh together any more… we do frequently. Ashley, my 14-year-old,  has just proven to be my toughest audience. I used to be able to … Continue reading →

As parents we never think it would happen to our kids, and our daughters never think it will happen to them . . . but the rate of binge drinking in teenage girls is growing, and the percentage of those … Continue reading →

This week I blogged about an experience with my daughter that caught me off guard. In that blog, I asked for my readers responses and received an influx of comments. It began when my daughter attended my Parenting the Texting … Continue reading →

Some of you have already been hearing the buzz about our brand new YouTube videos for parents, R U Listening? Last Thursday night we officially launched both the YouTube page and Facebook page, uploading two new videos by Friday morning. … Continue reading →

Last month my youngest daughter Ashley (14) asked me if she could read the newest Harry Potter book. I’m not thrilled about the series, but let’s be honest . . . the pressure is on. I don’t know many parents … Continue reading →

If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for a good movie for a “Daddy-Daughter Date.” This Christmas break, look no further than We Bought a Zoo. From the writer/director who penned famous lines like, “You had me at … Continue reading →