(Hey, wanna know what happens when a major blog publishing platform [cough TypePad cough] goes down for hours and hours and hours? NOBODY CAN WRITE THINGS ON THEIR BLOGS. Which is doubly bad news for a blog about those blogs, especially when that blog about blogs IS ITSELF POWERED BY TYPEPAD and basically, I spent all day yesterday hitting "refresh" every five minutes and throwing my hands up in frustration.)
(Well, that and eating an entire bag of Doritos, so at least the day wasn't a total loss.)
Anyway! I'm actually glad that I didn't post yesterday, because it gave everybody more time to send in nominations for their all-time greatest favorite blog in the history of the universe. I've already got over 100 different blogs to choose from, which: holy crap. I'm so happy to see a lot of MY favorite blogs among the nominations (y'all have exquisite taste), but also excited to see so many new sites to check out. Yay. YAY!
Today, though, I'm going to address a specific blog request I received this week. (Yes, I take requests! Who knew?) Sharon wrote, "I am looking desperately for blogs that relate to life with older children. I...find that the issues facing mothers of teenagers are different as is the stage of life we, as adults with older kids, are in."
Happy to oblige, Sharon! Yes, the Dose HAS been a bit baby-and-toddler heavy lately, mostly because I am a selfish brat. Also, I am scared of teenagers, especially when they hang out in packs. Bah.
But just for you, here are some of my favorite teen momblogs:
(I mean moms OF teenagers, not teenage moms, because...oh, never mind.)
Five ClubMom bloggers have teens: Denise, Grace, Loni, Jennefer and Christina. I done told you and told you to read Grace's blog already, but the others are relatively new to the fold. Denise homeschools her teenage daughter, Loni has NINE children (including four teens) and also homeschools, Jennefer's a mom to a newly-minted, officially teenage boy AND in the process of adopting a daughter from Russia (stupid referral! come! I order you!), and last but not least, Christina has two teen daughters -- just 19 months apart. Whew.
Outside of the ClubMom Blogroll of Everything You Ever Wanted in a Blogroll, definitely check out Suburban Turmoil (stepmom to two teen girls), Stargazer (mom to a 16-year-old and a college student) and the Kvetch Blog (single mom to two teens -- a boy and a girl).
(And now is when our intrepid commenters come forth and tell me exactly who I left off my list.)
temperAmental (sorry!!!) it's just that it's in the title :)
Posted by: robin j. | July 13, 2006 at 03:40 PM
Whoops! Thanks. I blame TypePad, for some reason.
Posted by: Amalah | July 13, 2006 at 03:58 PM
My oldest two are college aged now and don't live at home, but I sometimes have flashbacks to their teenage years and I blog about them (like my post today, I think I might have post-teenager-stress-disorder... can I quit my job and get on disability for that? I should be able to get at least that or maybe some sort of Nobel Peace Prize. You know, for weathering the storm and all).
Teenagers aren't so bad. That's my mantra and I say it over and over. My middle child just entered double-digits and I think if I blink too slow, she'll be a teen herself.
Somebody hold me.
Posted by: JustLinda | July 13, 2006 at 04:41 PM
Try dealing with Typepad AND the Teenager at the same time! (My 13 year old son was trying to post the link to his entry to the contest on "Finding Joy in the Morning" yesterday - jeesh! You'd have thought the world was coming to an end!
Posted by: Kate | July 13, 2006 at 04:49 PM
I am not sure if Russia heard your nice comments. Maybe you could think them a little harder for us.
And as far as me having a teenager...what???
We don't know WHO this 13 yr. old is thats hanging around eating our food. Last time I turned around our oldest was 4.
Posted by: Three Sons and A Princess | July 13, 2006 at 04:57 PM
I have a teenager, but WHATEVER.
;-)
Posted by: Y | July 13, 2006 at 05:08 PM
I'm trying to do a link and failing. But blackbird17.blogspot.com has teenagers. 3 of 'em.
Posted by: Tamara | July 13, 2006 at 05:13 PM
I would like to see blogs, not about older kids, but older first-time moms. I am beginning to think I am the only 40-something out there feeling my way around diapering and teething while monitoring the retirement account.
Posted by: Robbin | July 13, 2006 at 05:13 PM
Don't forget Meritt at "Its Just the Coffee Talking" - Her kids are in the teens and adorable!
http://www.coffeetalking.blogspot.com/
She also has great recipes!
Posted by: Kelly | July 13, 2006 at 05:18 PM
I have more than the one homeschooled child, I have a 19 year old who just moved BACK home and a son who will be 13 this fall. Come on over to the Fast Times or my other blog, which is also a Daily Dose - Daily Dose of Denise. ;-)
Posted by: Denise | July 13, 2006 at 05:27 PM
http://coffeesoup.com (again)
She has 4 kids from ages 11-18. I *think* the middle ones are 15 and 13?
She writes often (and well) about raising teenagers.
Posted by: ragmuffin | July 13, 2006 at 05:27 PM
I love Christina's blog because she started her family really early in life like I did (19 eep!). I also go in search of blogs written by women with teenagers or older children (mine are 14, 10 & 8). A lot of the popular blogs seem to be written by women with younger children (except for you Y!). Not that those blogs aren't fantastic, cause I love to read em (and I'm jealous of you all having CUP HOLDERS on your strollers...they hadn't even invented Starbucks when I started procreating in '91).
I'm the opposite of the lady above who's looking for Moms who started parenting when they were older. I'm in search of some kindred spirits who started their families in their late teens or early twenties...hard to find in real life and on the web.
Posted by: Vicky | July 13, 2006 at 06:09 PM
You should check out Mindy at Mama Drama. The site has several different moms posting who have kids at all different ages and each of them have a different perspective. Mindy's a single mom with 2 teens and she really nails the desperation a mom with teens can feel while still cracking me up.
http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/
Posted by: Christine | July 13, 2006 at 06:16 PM
www.leahpeah.com
The lovely Leah Peah has teenage/tweenage kids and writes eloquently about the twists and turns of parenting adolescents.
I heart her. Also, her kids are stunningly attractive (as is she) and they sound like they have loads of fun together as a family.
Love!
Posted by: lawyerish | July 13, 2006 at 07:15 PM
Wow! Amy, thanks for the link! I am honored.
You guys have named some great bloggers- I think you'll find fewer bloggers who write about their teens simply because it's a sensitive issue. Teenagers are at the most vulnerable times in their lives, and they're very Internet-savvy, so it's really, really tough to write about them. For every post I've written about my stepdaughters (who live with me 7 days a week, by the way, so for all intents and purposes, they're mine), there are about 10 I couldn't write, because I fear they might find them and read them. I applaud all of you who are able to write sensitively and yet honestly about your teenagers.
Posted by: Suburban Turmoil | July 13, 2006 at 07:48 PM
I'm totally gonna copy Y and tell you that I have a teenager, along with the five other kids I have at home. Can someone PLEASE include me?
Make me feel like part of the in crowd for about a minute.....
Posted by: Carmen | July 13, 2006 at 08:06 PM
Me! I have a 14 year-old son, and I just started my ClubMom blog today. I have to agree with Suburban Turmoil, it's very hard to write about teens and I hope I'll be able to always stay sensitive yet honest.
Posted by: kelly | July 13, 2006 at 09:23 PM
I hve twin teenagers, a boy and a girl who are turning 14 in a couple of weeks. I blog about them and their escapades in teenhood all the time. A shout out would be appreciated. My kids both read my blog and approve of what can and can't be written about, but even with that caveat, there is enough information about parenting teens to turn anyone's hair a bit grayer. And mine are GOOD kids!
Posted by: margalit | July 14, 2006 at 01:15 AM
looking for a blog about moms and teens?
:::cough, cough::::
I have two teens with one hitting the big 1-3 this November....heck she may as well be a teen now as she has the whole drama, angst, I would rather chew glass than talk to my mom act down!
Seriously, my first teen taught me much. I don't pretend to know anything about them as the next two teens are way different than # 1 but at least I know it isn't as scary as it might seem on the outside looking in.
Yes, I do blog about those teenaged adventures too.
Posted by: laura | July 14, 2006 at 02:19 AM
If you want to read from a teenager's perspective--one who uses (mostly) proper spelling and punctuation and grammar and everything! --you could check out my blog, and learn that some teens are not so scary after all.
Posted by: Nosila | July 14, 2006 at 12:42 PM
Got 4 kids, 25, 22, 16 & 4. (there's symmetry there - 3,6,12 years apart! Whoa...) So my blog would qualify, but I don't know that I qualify, really, since my blog isn't really a "mommy blog". Just whatever triggers that entry, which is more often than not family related. Whatever.
PS - All 4 kids are under our roof right now. FYI - 20somethings are really just teenagers with a valid ID.
Posted by: Beastarzmom | July 14, 2006 at 02:12 PM
I like jo(e) at
http://writingasjoe.blogspot.com/
She writes about her teen-aged boys sometimes, as well as the amazing relationships she has with other women. She also writes about teaching, and sometimes her own poetry, which is a real treat.
And then there is the incomparable Yankee Transplant, at
http://yankeetransplant.blogspot.com/
She writes about her teen-aged daughters, adoption, single parenthood (now over for her), poverty, and discrimination of all types. Obviously, she doesn't shy away from the tough stuff. And you love her and her daughters all the more for it.
Posted by: moreena | July 14, 2006 at 07:17 PM
*cough cough*
I heard this is this Hip Mom that writes a blog for ClubMom that has a tween and a teen. What was that url again? OH yeah, http://trendytweens.clubmom.com
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