While your kids are still young, take a little time to figure out what your own family touchstone will be. (© Jack Hollingsworth / Photodisc / Thinkstock)
-
Is it time for a laundry room overhaul? To become an organization pro, here is some advice that works like magic.More >> Is it time for a laundry room overhaul? To become an organization pro, here is some advice that works like magic.More >> The loyal companions who give us the best gifts year-round, welcome home dances, warm snuggles and unconditional love, deserve to receive some gifts as well.More >> The loyal companions who give us the best gifts year-round, welcome home dances, warm snuggles and unconditional love, deserve to receive some gifts as well.
More >> Get the scoop on these five commonly asked questions, and kick your cooking up a notch!More >> Get the scoop on these five commonly asked questions, and kick your cooking up a notch!
More >> While we can’t always crawl into bed at any given hour in the day, we can surround ourselves with calming aromas at anytime. Here are five scents that have been proven to naturally soothe.More >> While we can’t always crawl into bed at any given hour in the day, we can surround ourselves with calming aromas at anytime. Here are five scents that have been proven to naturally soothe.
More >> A busy home with sealed-up windows can lead to stale, unpleasant odors. And the last thing that any host wants to hear is, "What's that smell?"More >> A busy home with sealed-up windows can lead to stale, unpleasant odors. And the last thing that any host wants to hear is, "What's that smell?"More >> Is your dinner table a battlefield? You aren't alone. But your child isn't doomed to a diet of white bread and chicken nuggets -- there's hope. Kids are more likely to try foods that they had a hand in cooking.More >> Is your dinner table a battlefield? You aren't alone. But your child isn't doomed to a diet of white bread and chicken nuggets -- there's hope. Kids are more likely to try foods that they had a hand in cooking.
More >> It's not uncommon to catch a case of the blues during the winter months. Rather than letting your low mood settle in for the season, usher in some winter bliss!More >> It's not uncommon to catch a case of the blues during the winter months. Rather than letting your low mood settle in for the season, usher in some winter bliss!
More >> With the holidays fast approaching, you want to keep your pets in mind as you begin creating a festive atmosphere.More >> Owning a cat or dog is a joy, but like with most joyful things in life, taking care of them requires a bit of sacrifice. With the holidays fast approaching, you want to keep your pets in mind as you begin creating a festive atmosphere.
More >> While Santa is busy speeding around the globe in his sleigh, millions of families will gather around the table and feast on delicious Christmas dinners.More >> While Santa is busy speeding around the globe in his sleigh, millions of families will gather around the table and feast on delicious Christmas dinners.
More >> The holidays are all about opening your doors and welcoming friends and family. But along with hostess gifts, your guests may also bring sniffle-causing viruses and colds.More >> The holidays are all about opening your doors and welcoming friends and family. But along with hostess gifts, your guests may also bring sniffle-causing viruses and colds.
More >>
By Peg Rosen
My dentist was a mother of two teen boys, and I hungered to know what kind of life might lie ahead of me. What I really needed to know was this: How did she keep her teen boys talking to her? Her curious response: skiing. She explained, "I got them into skiing nearly as soon as they could stand. It's something they love, that I love, that we've always done together. It gives us common ground."
Here I am now, unpacking the last piece of equipment from one of countless quickie weekend ski trips that my own family has taken. I marvel at how right my dentist was. Not specifically about skiing but about how important it is for us as parents to cultivate that common ground with our kids, especially those of the opposite gender.
My 77-year-old mother-in-law, herself a mom of two sons, chose football. She might not know the first thing about Twitter or have a clue what's on anybody's iPod, but you should have seen her with all her boys cheering on the Saints, arguing calls and making penny bets watching the Super Bowl last month. My father got my sister and me camping and hiking early in life. Fifty years later, our wilderness adventures are still my family's touchstone.
So here's my advice: While your kids are still young, take a little time to figure out what your own family touchstone will be. Then forge ahead and make it happen.
Peg Rosen is a freelance writer and the mother of two boys. She regularly blogs at relish-this.blogspot.
Copyright © 2011 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.
