Posted by admin on September 18th, 2008 in Parenting

When I started blogging (about a year ago now), I never thought I’d be starting my own.  And, in reality it is far-fetched to think the marbles rolling around in my head would be of interest to people.  But really this blog isn’t only about me.  It’s about parents.  And, more importantly it’s about teenagers or, as they like to remind us, “young adults”.
As a parent, I’ve always tried to keep humor by my side, as my friendly companion when  real-life friends weren’t taking calls.  I figured if I could see the humor in something, I’m more likely to survive it.  That seemed especially true for the toddler years.  They are such funny creatures.

But now, my kids are 13 and 15 and parenting seems to have evolved into something different and humor has become even more important to me.   And, it plays a big part in my relationship with my kids. That’s not to say there’s no serious parenting going on – on the contrary, my kids would tell you sometimes I “micro-manage” too much. It’s always a challenge to get the balance right.

In all the momosphere, blogosphere-world, I have not found many blogs about parenting teens and so I decided to start one.  That’s it in a nutshell.  The name, “Tangerine Times” really speaks to the sweet (and sour) times we all face when parenting teens.  I guess it’s true for all stages of parenting, but there is a bittersweet quality to the parenting of teens in that we all know they are soon to fly the coop.  When kids are still in their elementary years, you never think about their permanent departure from home.   You tuck them in every night knowing they will be there the next night.   As they march towards 18 and those blasted colleges lure them with their siren song, you parent with an eye on the door and your heart pounding furiously.

Ever conscious that I may trip up and write something offensive about my teens, I will designate them honorary editors of this site.  This was a piece of good advice given by a friend, and I think it’s a good one.
So, welcome to my Tangerine, teen world and I look forward to hearing from all you parents of teens who want to laugh, share and contribute!