A Father By Any Other Name
By Anna Seip
Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew I would grow up to have a son named Marshall. That’s the name of my stepfather, the man who raised me and my brother. Everyone calls my stepdad “Bud,” a nickname that serves as a barometer of how well people know him. If someone called our house asking for Marshall, we knew it was either a business associate or a telemarketer. If they wanted Bud, well, that was a friend or a family member. When we were kids, my brother and I talked about the easiness of calling him by his nickname. Calling him “Bud” was less formal and avoided the issue of whether or not to call him “Dad.” Of course, years later we call him Bud and Dad interchangeably.
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Category: Past Articles, Summer, Teens // Posted on May 31, 2009 // Leave a Comment
Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Teens
By Emily Puro
Service learning is becoming an integral part of the curriculum at many middle and high schools, with teens eager to gain real world experience while contributing to the greater good. Summer is a great time for these youngsters to take their volunteering efforts to the next level. And with jobs few and far between, donating time to a good cause may be especially attractive to teens this summer.
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Books to Help You Plan Your Close-to-Home Holiday
By Metro Parent Staff
When it comes to planning one of these “tourist in your own town” trips, The Great American Staycation: How to Make a Vacation at Home Fun for the Whole Family by Matt Wixon (Adams Media, 2009) is a logical standout. This book has a ton of creative ideas for things to do on your staycation as well as wisdom on what your mindset should be as you plan your “vacation at home” (e.g. “Rule # 1: A Staycation Muse Be Treated as a Real Vacation”). But, if you’re only going to buy one or two books to guide you in your staycation/daycation planning and implementation, you should probably consider the following:
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Category: Holidays, Past Articles // Posted on May 8, 2009 // Leave a Comment
By Marie Sherlock
If asked what Mothers’ Day is all about, most of us would say, simply, that it’s a day to honor mothers. We do that, for the most part, on Mothers’ Day with flowers, chocolate, cards and more.
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By Emily Moser, Oregon Partnership
The New Year is a time to clean the slate and maybe make a resolution or two. Strengthening – and maintaining – connections with our children is one of the most effective ways we as parents can nurture their healthy development, and in the process reduce the risk that they’ll get involved in harmful behavior such as experimenting with alcohol and other drugs.
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Category: Humor, Past Articles // Posted on May 2, 2009 // Leave a Comment
An Interview with Jacki Sturkie (aka Jacki Kane) – mom, comedienne and founder of TIME OUT: The Mother of All Comedy Shows
(TIME OUT brings you laughs each month at Airplay Café, 701 E Burnside. Click here for the schedule.)
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You’re a mom, you’re a daughter and you’re losing your mind
By Anna Seip
On Mother’s Day, women shift between two worlds: motherhood and childhood. As a mom, you may experience the joy of your children proudly presenting you with homemade cards – construction paper masterpieces made of crayon drawings, glued macaroni and misspelled words. As a daughter, however, Mother’s Day can be difficult if you have a less-than-perfect relationship with your own mother. And, let’s face it, almost all of us have difficult relationships with our mothers – or our stepmothers, mothers-in-law and other women in our families. So, why do we care so much about giving them the perfect Mother’s Day to the point of neglecting ourselves?
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