mothers Archives - Ann Handley Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer Ann Handley Writer. Speaker. Marketer. About Speaking Books Blog WORK WITH ANN Testimonials Contact Newsletter mothers Parent Bingo My 17-year-old will be in college next year, and right now he and I are deep in the process of applications and school visits and talks that spring up suddenly at dinner or in the car and begin with, “Maybe I should think about…?” or “Have you considered…?” It’s a process that feels very much […] Filed Under: Children, Parenting, Teenagers, Writing Tagged With: kids, mothers, Parenting, Teenagers, Writing At a Loss for Words On Thursday, my son finished up his junior year of high school, and today his dad, little sister and I drove him 75 miles to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he’ll spend the next 6 weeks immersed in Art. He’ll spend much of that time muddying his clothes in the ceramics studio, with […] Filed Under: Annarchy, Children, Parenting, Teenagers Tagged With: life passages, mothers, Parenting, RISD, school, summer, Teenagers, transitions Excerpt: Things That Scare Me I’ve been thinking about Things That Scare Me for a while, and when I wrote it, it turned out much longer than a blog post. So here’s an excerpt, including photos of the video shoot in Steve Garfield’s dining room cum video studio. A few weeks ago, I had to film a video greeting that […] Filed Under: Business, Video, Writing Tagged With: anxiety, Business, career, digital life, mothers, personal history, successful women, Writing Evergreen Christmas 1970 It’s four days before Christmas, and my father finally retrieves from beneath the cellar stairs the huge Sears box that houses our Christmas tree. The tree is heavy, its metal trunk solid and plumed with thick branches trimmed with rough-cut green cellophane that simulates pine needles. It’s the only Christmas tree I’ve ever known, […] Filed Under: Children, Family History Tagged With: 1970s, Christmas, Christmas ornaments, Christmas trees, daughters, Family History, kids, mothers, personal history, traditions Birthday Boy Thirteen years ago today, we threw a first birthday party for our blond, apple-cheeked boy. Three months later to the day, he would be dead, from a virulent and rare form of strep. One day he was sitting in my lap with a book, clapping his hands when we came to his favorite page. And […] Filed Under: Annarchy, Children, Family History, Parenting, Writing Tagged With: kids, mothers, Parenting, personal history, Writing Notice to Staff and Stakeholders: Reorg Greetings all staff and stakeholders of Coddled Teenage Boy Enterprises: It has come to my attention that there has been some confusion about your roles and responsibilities within the organization, which has led to infighting, yelling, and name-calling—this happened just yesterday, prior to 7 AM. Such behavior is both unprofessional and upsetting, and it is […] Filed Under: Children, Humor, Parenting, Teenagers Tagged With: Business, kids, mothers, parentings, sons, Teenagers Summer on the Coast of Maine, Doggy-Style I’m spending this week on the coast of southern Maine. If I had a choice, I’d spend most of the week as I am right now: in a low-slung beach chair, toes buried in the warm sand, and book propped open on my lap, pages ruffled by the strong wind off the water. Every few […] Filed Under: Business, Children, Dogs, Parenting, Pets, Teenagers, Travel Tagged With: beaches, Dogs, Maine, mothers, Parenting, Pets, Teenagers, Travel Beta Before Alpha My friend Rachel emailed me an article the other day from Yankelovich, a market research company. The article, produced just after Mother’s Day, heralded the arrival of “Beta Moms” and their “newfound acceptance that being a ‘just good enough for my family’ mother…speaks to a more forgiving, laid-back approach to parenting.” Unlike “Alpha Moms” (or, […] Filed Under: Children, Family History, Media, Parenting, Women Tagged With: competitive parenting, marketing, Media, mothers, Parenting Korean Otters My friend Maryse called me the other day with a question, she said, about her daughter Laurie-Maude, who is in the same grade as my daughter Caroline. It was Korea Day at school, she said, and Laurie-Maude wanted to dress as an Otter. “How do Otter’s dress?” Maryse wanted to know. At least, that’s what […] Filed Under: Children, Family History, Women Tagged With: daughters, kids, mothers, Parenting, personal history, Women, Writing Go to page 1 Go to page 2 Go to Next Page » Subscribe to Total ANNARCHY Get new writing, useful ideas, fresh links, and high-spirited shenanigans delivered to your inbox every two weeks. SUBSCRIBE Footer COPYRIGHT 2021 ANN HANDLEY SITE BY MINIMA Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest RSS Twitter About Bio In the Media Training Newsletter Speaking Speaking For Meeting Planners The Books Everybody Writes Content Rules