Trying to keep my sanity in a house full of manly ball-scratching, burping, farting, and raised toilet seats.
Trying to keep my sanity in a house full of manly ball-scratching, burping, farting, and raised toilet seats. 
“I’d be concerned if he wasn’t watching porn.”
“That’s my DAWG.”
“I wouldn’t worry; he’s about that age.”
“It’s perfectly fine and normal.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
These are just a few of the classically typical male reactions I have received from various friends when asked what they think of my... 
What? You don’t get text messages from your teens telling you they love you? You know, just letting you know they’re thinking of you, they appreciate you, and everything you do for them just for the hell of it? Not because they want something from you, or because they got in trouble, but simply because they want to let you know they love you, even though they’re in school and... 
When my youngest son turned into a maniacal toddler who would bite, pull hair, scream and rage all over the house, I knew I was in for trouble if I didn’t look for some disciplinary alternatives, particularly since I adamantly refused to spank my children (never have, never will and, as a former child of corporal punishment, I do not see the logic in it). So I turned to “positive... 
Sometimes I really don’t know where I went wrong with my boys or if this issue is more common than mothers want to admit. My sons have some nasty, gross, disgusting habits, as well as some annoying ones and I’m here to Out Them! Judge me if you please, but I’d much rather you provide suggestions or feedback as to how to get them to STOP the annoyances and nastiness!! Remember, these... 
About a month ago, my 13-year-old son shared with me the story of a girl in his class who had taken a naked picture of herself and sent it to the boy she liked, who in turn forwarded it to all of his friends. Within less than a day, the photo had been circulated throughout the school and everyone had seen it. This is not a new story and for the most part there are one of two reactions to these types of... 
For the last seven months I have been hiding something from you, my readers, and while I of course have had legitimate reasons for keeping this from you, I feel the time has come to reveal the truth.
Seven months ago my husband of 16 years ago ended our marriage (I will not get into the details of why or how, as it is irrelevant at this point). Of course it was an extremely difficult time for me,... 
For those of you who have been reading my stories for a while now you may be under the impression that my boys are amazing kids who never get in trouble or do anything wrong.
First of all, I would like to apologize if I have misled you in this manner. I mean, they are pretty amazing kids (they are a by-product of moi after all), but they are far from “perfect” and are definitely prone to... 
When I started writing this blog a year ago, I decided that I would not “sell myself out” to corporate sponsorship or advertising, i.e, product reviews, as most other mom & dad bloggers do in order to monetize on their blogs. Not that I have anything against those who do, I mean every one has to make money somehow right? But I made a choice not to do this.
As a writer and as a story... 
As I pulled out of the driveway my 15 year old got on the phone with one of his friends. I wasn’t paying attention to his conversation, but rather searching for a radio station as I pulled onto the main street.
“Mom can you pick up D at the ice arena?”
“Well aren’t you the clever one!!” I yelled out at him while attempting to keep my eyes on the road, “You wait... 
“Sooo, you guys don’t want us to smoke pot right?” The question was being asked by my 15 year old son. I looked at him from across the table wondering where he was going with the question. He had a slight smirk on his face as he turned to his father next to him waiting for his reaction. “No!” His father proclaimed adamantly. I, on the other hand, knew better than... 
My 15 yr old son and a few of his friends have a little “hideout”, if you will. It’s a secluded spot in the forest in front of their school that they discovered at the beginning of the school year. My son, being the adventurer that he is, found it to be a perfect building location for their own rudimentary and primitive hangout. Over the months they’ve made it their own,... 
“It’s an organ.” -me.
“It’s a muscle.” -12 year old.
“It’s an organ.” -me more sternly.
“It’s a bone!!” -15 year old yells from his room.
“It is an organ!!” -I yell back.
“Then why’s it called a boner??” -15 year old taunts.
“Cuz it get’s hard like a bone!!” -I yell back at him.
These are... 
“My daughter is afraid of your son.” My friend said to me as she poured us each a glass of wine.
“Whyyyy?” I was taken aback by the statement. What had my son done to make her daughter afraid of him?
“She thinks he’s a warlock.”
“Ohhhhh.” Now I understood. “Well, maybe she should ask him herself.” I told her.
“She... 
“Mom, would you get mad at me if I got a detention for putting a tampon in a friends backpack?”
I was in the process of making my coffee when my 12 year old came up to me and propositioned me with this very interesting question. I looked up from stirring my coffee and met his eyes. He had a smirk on his face and it took everything in me not to bust out laughing.
“Did you get a... 
Would you let your 15 year old sleep over his female friends’ house? Would you let your 12 year old son sleep over his female friends house? Is there a difference because of the age, or does it not matter? Or does it matter because it’s a boy sleeping over a girls’ house? Certainly we wouldn’t have any problem with our boys sleeping over their guy friends’ houses or... 
“I need Sylvan Learning or something like that.” My 14 year old said to me.
“What the heck for?”
“Cuz I must be retarded!”
This is my sons excuse for poor grades; that he must be retarded. Nice.
Mind you, he’s the one that started the conversation about his grades telling me how disappointed he is in himself. Now, why would you tell me what your grades are... 
Last week I took off with my mom, my baby brother and my godmother on a road trip from Miami to Manchester, New Hampshire. Unfortunately the reason for our trip was to spend time with my aunt (who was like a second mother to me) in her final hours of life. My aunt, who had also suffered and survived polio at a young age, was diagnosed with ALS (a.k.a Lou Gehrigs disease) almost 10 months ago.... 
If it was an MMA match, then you’d most likely be rooting for the youthful, rebellious, and energetic high schooler. You’d imagine yourself as
Rage in a Cage by Edgar Brown
that high schooler and that teacher as that one hideous and miserable teacher you had in
high school who you swore was on a mission to make your life impossible and humiliate you every chance they had. (If you never had... 
I’m sure everyone is familiar with the saying “Bro’s before hoes”. And I’m sure many of you are nodding your head in agreement. But when do you (men, that is) decide that the woman is in fact not a hoe and, therefore, must come before the bro’s?
This past weekend my 12 year old son faced this challenging choice.
It was Friday and I was picking him up from school at... 
Ok, so the last two posts I wrote were pretty heavy, deep and as some put it (which I am completely flattered by), “inspiring”. So I decided to lighten the mood a little this time:
Older son says to younger son: “Look what I made,” and shows him a leather wallet.
Younger son asks, “What is it?”
Older son sarcastically answers, “A dildo man, what do you... 
I was carded buying a bottle of wine.
I was asked by a cashier if I was my 12 year old’s sister.
I dropped off my 14 year old at a friends birthday party and the dad asked me if I was my sons sister.
At 33 most people would be flattered by these inquiries. I, however, am not particularly thrilled by them. You see, these are small examples of the nuances of having become a mother as a teenager. ... 
One afternoon, I met up with a colleague of mine for coffee. We’ve known each other for several years now and she’s aware that my husband is a combat vet. We casually discussed our children and whatever troubles they might have been giving us at the moment. On most fronts we agree when it comes to the raising of children, but I was soon to be disillusioned with how different we were on... 
If you’re a parent, or have been around kids and their parents, you know this question well. The infamous “why” is the epitome of curiosity and intrigue. The truth is though, it can also become extremely annoying.
As an observer to this situation you may have noticed parents all too easily dismiss their children with a quick, “just because sweety” answer. As a parent,... 
Well, to be fair, the Grinch is really my 14 year old. My younger one enjoys the Christmas spirit and likes to participate in it. My 14 year old though, he doesn’t care for anything Christmas, including Christmas trees or Christmas lights. According to him, buying a tree is a waste of money since you’re just going to throw it out in a month and the lights only run up the electricity bill... 
If it’s not enough that I have to deal with teaching 4 university writing classes, my husband being away for training, handling the boys and the house and the dogs by myself, I also have to get sick…horribly, awfully, green phlegmy sick. And there’s no one to take care of me.
To add to my misery, the prescribed antibiotics I had to take, threw my delicate feminine hormones out of whack... 
My journey into motherhood began when I was 17 years old. Today, I am the mother of two teen boys, 15 and 13, and I am one of the only moms "blogging" about raising teen boys. On this blog, which I like to call a "blogory", I share my candid, poignant, sometimes humorous, but always real, short stories about my stumbles through parenthood as a young mother raising two teen boys while coping with living in a house full of testosterone. My parenting philosophy revolves around honest, no holds barred communication, where no topic is off limits, mixed with an enormous sense of humor. Peace Out! -Natasha Olivera
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