Sonny, our son, is now 22. (I still can’t quite get my head around that one).
It has been two years since Sonny last joined me for a chat on the podcast (the podcast that he and I started together), and A LOT has changed in his life since then.
Sit back, listen and enjoy as Sonny and Liz talk about breakups, the damage of social media, making money online and how it feels to be the main character in your mother’s book…
This week’s podcast is a behind-the-scenes chat with Liz and her daughter, Tessa.
Tessa (19) is a regular guest on the podcast. Since her last visit, she has flown the nest to start a new life alone in the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington.
As is often the case with life, things don’t always turn out as we expect them to. We don’t feel the way we anticipate. Life throws us challenges, and although they are necessary for us to grow, new experiences aren’t always easy or pleasant.
And that’s why we wanted to share this conversation.
I asked Tessa to come to the microphone and share what life has been like moving away and living alone for the first time.
We know that many of you listening to this podcast have kids, and we hope by sharing what Tessa feels (and her experiences), you will resonate, and it will help in some small way.
Sit back, pour yourself something nice and join this intimate conversation between mother and daughter.
(Click the website link to see the photos. You can also leave a comment and say hi!)
You’d think after practising for almost twenty-two years, me and Bri would have this parenting lark off to a tee by now.
But no. Once again, here we are asking if anyone else finds this tremendously-rewarding-but-hardy-pardy-pig-in-a-pokie-head-buttingly-difficult thing hard to navigate.
Blub, slurp, burp. Well? Do you?
We’ve had a right old weekend, me and Bri. What should have been a celebration ended up being a bit of a three-way counselling session. The only positive was there was lots of alcohol…
In this weeks show, we talk about the struggles and triumphs of being a parent to young adults, drinking far too much wine, and Liz reads the very first yet-to-be-heard introduction of her soon-to-released book. PLUS! you (the listener) are offered an exclusive FREE never-seen-before bonus gift of Liz reading her first chapter to you in video. Listen to find out more and then sign up HERE for your secret, exclusive video!
Enjoy!
PS: Don’t forget! If you would like to hear a podcast episode where Brian interviews Liz about the writing of this book, (struggles, ups, downs, inspiration etc.) Email Liz at [email protected] with “Talk about the book!” in the subject matter.
Thank you so much for your wonderful support.
There are two parts to this answer.
1: It depends.
If your name is Karen then no. What’s there to get upset about? Your darling child is merely trying to get your attention by addressing you with the name bestowed upon you at birth.
Stop being so sensitive.
Behaviour like this can cause trigger issues and god knows you don’t want to carry one of those around on your Linda Evans shoulder pads.
But.
2: If your name is something other than Kaz (let’s go with Kaz, far cooler than Karen) and your teenager insists on using this derogatory title, then here’s what I suggest.
Let’s imagine for a moment that you are standing alone at the kitchen sink. Washing the dishes. This shouldn’t be too hard. You do it a lot.
Your teenage child enters the room. Annoyed. Huffing. Flouncing. Up for an argument. You exchange words. The child becomes annoyed.
“You’re such a Karen.” Comes forth the taunt.
Stop.
Breathe. Flick the bubbles from your flock-lined marigold gloves. Turn slowly towards your offspring. Smile. Sweetly. And say, in a voice that is calm and borderline psychopathic.
‘Fuck. You. Barry.’
Wait. Observe. Wallow in the reaction. The confusion.
Who is Barry you might ask? I have no idea. And, more importantly, neither does your child. Which makes the exercise even more deliciously victorious.
Now then Mama. Back to the dishes.
Thank you for reading this post. I am the parent of two gorgeous teenage kids that I adore far more than I’m sure is normal or healthy. If you would like to read more of my excellent parenting tips then head over to my blog and read this post. I wrote when my teenage daughter asked me to explain STDs.
Have a wonderful day,
Liz x
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The funniest thing happened yesterday.
Because it was Fathers Day, I said my husband that on this week’s podcast episode we should talk about him being a homeschooling dad. Give some tips to all the other dads, husbands or partners out there that are currently faced with being a new homeschooling parent.
And guess what he said to me?
(Bearing in mind that our kids have been homeschooled for almost ten years).
He said: How can I talk about that? How can I give other guys homeschooling tips when it was you who did everything, and I just went to work?
YouTube and I have one of those love-hate relationships. While Youtube is perfect for providing educational videos for kids, it can also be the reason why my housework gets put back another day.
Having homeschooled two kids for the past ten years I know how easy it is to get sucked into the YouTube spiral when trying to find the best maths channels for your kids.
It is sometimes nigh on impossible.
I’m Liz, and this is my family.
I do Travel. I do Wine. I do being a mum to big kids. Sometimes I do all three at the same time.
I don’t do hormones. Or looking perfect for Instagram. Or dieting.
Read more about who I am and why we should be friends on our about us page.