Any parent of a teenager(s) knows the rest of this title…Our Kids. If there is karma in the world, I’m getting payback for the jerk I was (I’d use a stronger word if this were not a PG-rated column) to my parents for so many years. And, for all the incredible angst and sleepless nights I likely caused them. They only had me so I’m getting double since I have two boys, now 17 and 20. Payback is a b****.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Featured guests:
Cherylyn Harley LeBon – Co-Chairman of the Project 21 National Advisory Board – for “Political Talk.”
Pastor Drew Sams for “Spiritual Talk.”
Dr. Jennifer Weberman (The Parenting Playground) for “Therapy Talk.”
Today’s radio show is inspired by this week’s “A Dad’s Point-of-View” column, Our Kid’s Narrow View. But, as always, we’ll talk about whatever is on our minds!
Photo from Wired.com by Zen Icknow
Drive-In Movies AKA Bruce’s Guide to the Evolution of Technology and His Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby*
With Guest Co-Author, Professor David E. Weber
The Evolution of Technology series continues with the drive-in movie, which was a rite-of-passage for so many teens back in the day.
The older I get the more I work to manage my expectations and be appreciative and grateful for all the blessings I have in my life. Nonetheless, there are times when I just get disappointed. It may last just a moment or linger for a while as it has with a recent incident with my older son. My wife and me have gotten so much better at NOT allowing the little things to cause rifts or hurt feelings though her favorite words are,” You hurt my feelings.”
When a parent is in the middle of a kid-crisis, it feels like it will never end. Kid crises are just like all crises in that they will end: more often than not, without irreparable consequences. I am a living testament to this reality as a little less than two years ago; my son was on a downward spiral that felt like it would only end in disaster.
When they say, “What goes around, comes around” they must have had me in mind. That’s because I gave my parents a certain degree of difficulty during my teen years. Now, I have double that trouble, since I have two teens at home. The good news is that one of them will be heading off to college in six months. The bad news is that the one left behind is as or more difficult than his older college-bound brother.
No, not that Britney!
I met Britney (a pseudonym), an 18-year-old young girl, on the chairlift on May 31, 2011 at Mammoth Mountain. She wasn’t wearing a helmet and I gave her my usual helmet lecture (see “Parental Hypocrisy” column). She ended up sharing a bit of her story with me. She was living on her own, supporting herself, homeschooling herself, learning to snowboard, and planning on working all summer – all with her parent’s permission.
Her situation was intriguing given that so many parents worry that their kids can support themselves, even after college, let alone finishing up high school without supervision. I had to know more so I invited her for coffee, expressing my sincere interest in her story. Following are excerpts, in her own words and vernacular, from my interview with Brittney. Please note that I rambled while I was interviewing Britney:
Radio Show – Teenagers Can Be Wonderful – Really
First air date: Thursday, July 22, 2010
Featured guests:
Wayne Levine (BetterMen.Org) for “The Men’s Room”
Pastor Drew Sams for “Teen Rap”
Julie Spira (Cyber Dating Expert) for “Single Parenting Dating”
The column referenced is: “Being A Teenager can be Wonderfull!”
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