Family And Friends

Do you remember what it was like to be 13, 16, or even 21? It's easy to recall major life events of your adolescent years, but sharing an empathetic moment with your own teenage girl might be difficult as time erases our past emotions - no wonder we find raising teens challenging. The fact is, children, at any age, seem to think that we have been perpetually grown up and never dealt with peer pressure or the physical, emotional, and mental changes with which they are bombarded on a daily basis. The other problem is they are trying to become adults, and we are trying to prevent it from happening- at least for a while.

My Own Loss Ten years ago today, I slept on a pull out bed with my husband and children the night we chose to stay at the hospice care facility where my mother spent her last days. There was nothing unusual about the night, nothing to prompt our need to be there anymore than the night before.