I wonder how many of us look back on our teenage years with fond memories? Sure there are some great things about being a teenager, the freedom, a fired-up metabolism, and long summer holidays. But there are also memories of awkward moments and challenges that we would rather forget about. There is a lot of […]
How do we start a conversation about pornography with our teenagers? It’s tricky enough finding the right words to write this article. So I will use the ‘band aid’ approach and get straight to the point. According to the light project 71% of New Zealand’s young people first discover porn by accident, a 1/4 of […]
Dating is one of those topics that every family is going to have a different opinion about. But one thing I know for sure is you need to have figured out some family rules around dating before your teen is interested in going out with someone. A good place to start is deciding on what […]
Parenting is not for wimps. My doctor recently told me that when her youngest child left home she realised she had been tired for 20 years! There is so much to keep on top of while we try to raise decent human beings. Communication is so important during the teen years. Even if our kids […]
During the Covid19 lockdown, we were made to rethink the way we lived life. We were no longer commuting to work or going to any social activities. Our kids attended school online and we changed the way we shopped. We got used to the slower pace of life, and it was easy to imagine what […]
My son sat his learner licence test recently and passed. I was so excited for him as we left the testing office and headed off to buy the L plates for my car. I’m not sure where I dreamt up the idea that getting your learner licence magically turned you into a competent driver. The […]
I start dreading winter at the end of summer. I wear shorts for as long as I can tolerate the cold. I paint my toenails bright colours, and I don’t give up easily on the idea of one last swim. I feel anxious as the long warm days start to slip away and the crisp […]
Perspective is great, it helps you to see a situation in a different way. “My kid isn’t doing well at school, but at least she’s not a drug addict”. I have heard mums, including myself saying these sorts of things, minimising the pain we are feeling to look on the bright side and be grateful. […]
Being in lockdown has brought many changes to our schedules and habits, and with the possibility of moving into level 2 just around the corner, it might be time to look at tweaking your teen’s sleeping routine. Especially if they have adopted the ‘vampire’ type lifestyle. Not all teenagers are going to be excited about […]
In my last post, I talked about unlimited screen time and how we were trialling that in our home during the lockdown. Our ‘all you can eat’ philosophy of being online was working pretty well, mostly. But then I started to witness some pretty dark moods and attitudes in my kids. That made me feel […]
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Hi I'm Robayne, a freelance writer and mum of two delightful teenagers. Parenting teens is quite the journey so I have created this space as a way to share stories and connect with others who are walking the same path. I have studied freelance journalism at the NZ Writers College and I create content over at Magnusson & Co. If you enjoy my blog and want to know when I post something new please subscribe to my newsletter.
