The Real Deal Family and Relationship Guide

Image via Wikipedia What happens to our bundles of joy? In the beginning, these little delights gave our lives meaning, then suddenly in the blink of an eye they change.  Mom and dad become old and geeky and oblivious to everything relevant in a teens eyes. How did that happen? Moreover, when did we, become our parents ? Teenagers are a strange brood. They vacillate between happy and joyful and moody and obstinate. I do believe, in my experience as a parent for 23 plus years, and I'm not done yet...that the minute puberty sets in..the worm turns for our little former bundles of joy. My kids use odd terms that cover a wide variety of emotional expression. For instance, if I tell DJ , "my 12 year old version of Little Man Tate " to take out the garbage, I hear "taking out the garbage is gay ". Now, because I am no perfect, politically correct  parent, I usually retort by saying "Well then I picked the right person for the job then". Yes, I know..I

Image via Wikipedia I don't care whether you go to all your kids baseball games, volunteer to go on every field trip or let your kids and their friends have parties at your house. You will never be a "cool" parent. Well, not cool in their eyes . So if your motivation behind everything you do is for that title, you are wasting your time. Children have a code in their DNA , that will not allow for you to be acknowledged as anything other than someone they must put up with. In their case, DNA means Do not allow. They will not allow us to be so cool and while we are trying to very hard to be the cool parent they will inevitably do something to make us change our hat and have to be the authority figure we are supposed to be. Forever, we as parents are losing "cool points". No matter what your definition of "cool" is, it will not be theirs. In fact most acts we deem as "cool" are really considered embarrassing to your kids. Doubt me? Pick up y