I sent four kids (my son and three stepchildren) to college, so I thought I’d experienced almost everything in this process: campus visits, moves, loans, roommate problems, and family weekends. As my youngest son prepares for college, I thought there wouldn’t be many new experiences for me, but I was wrong. My last child (who
Just when I turned 30, I moved to the Washington, DC area to look for a new job. I had just gotten out of a serious relationship and was finally moving out of the small town where I had grown up. I was ready to start a new chapter of my life and eager to
I am a mother of four children, one of whom is dual enrolled in high school and college courses. I have also taught over 1,000 college students over the past decade. Of course, I have seen students thrive and fail over the years. Everyone who is successful seems to have some similarities. My experience has
My son was 11 years old when he volunteered to be the boy soloist at the school Christmas concert. Nobody else would do it. That alone made me proud. He was standing there looking like a young Aled Jones, and he was magnificent. The school hall was full. Other parents leaned forward in their plastic
When our first daughter was born last April, we saw a rare window in our lives when we could travel a lot and get our baby some passport stamps before she turned 1. My wife was on maternity leave for a year, and I was about to leave my full-time job to start a company
I joke that most of the neighborhood teenagers are on my payroll, but it’s almost true. I received referrals from friends, approached them on the street and asked the school teachers for names of responsible students. In a family with two working parents, we need support. I am self-employed, so my childcare needs are less