How Your College Student Wants You to Behave.
This is a guest post by my daughter, Lianna Bessette. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.
DISCLAIMER: Although I am in college, I do not necessarily hold the same views as all college students. I cannot be held responsible for any variations in opinion among others of my kind.
I am 19 years old, and I’m a rising college sophomore. A year ago, I was living in my parents’ house, abiding by my parents’ rules. 
This summer, I’m actually right back where I was. A lot has changed, however, over the past year. Like so many other families, my family and I lived comfortably in the confines of traditional parent/child roles for years, but these roles had to change with the times. I wasn’t sure how I wanted our relationship to function, to change, until I left. Now I know how a college student’s brain works. I know that this is how we wish our parents would act.
Be interested, but don’t be nosy.
I really enjoy being able to tell my parents about the new things I learn and experience, but I like being able to keep things from them, too. I’m not even talking about important things or big secrets, but it’s nice to be able to choose what to share. For example, I once didn’t tell my parents I was auditioning for a play until I got a callback. It was fun to tell my parents about my accomplishment without them expecting it. We want you to understand our separate lives, but we want to be able to have some control over what you know. It’s not conniving; it’s just the way life works when living away from home.
Don’t expect me to contact you every single day.
I love talking to my parents, but I just don’t have time to call or email every day. We’re busy here, you know. I like to get emails, but my favorite way to communicate is a 20-30 minute phone conversation once or twice a week. That works for me. Some of my friends don’t contact their families for weeks or months at a time. One of my roommates did talk to her parents every day. It all depends on how we like to communicate. Don’t be offended it we don’t contact you. College is different, and we have a lot to do. We still love you.
Don’t make us lie to you.
My parents are really cool about drinking in college. They understand that it’s part of the culture, and we’ve had mature conversations about drinking responsibly. Months ago, my parents asked me if I partied, I answered truthfully, and they didn’t chastise me for my answer. I personally think this is the best way for a parent to act in this situation. Because I don’t view alcohol as a taboo substance, I don’t abuse it. Some of my friends’ parents have asked them the same question, and, when they answered truthfully, they were punished. Not all college students drink, but many do. We don’t want to lie to you. If you don’t want to know, please don’t ask.
We want you to care.
We want you to miss us even if we love being away from home. We want you to come to Parents’ Weekend (or at least want to come to Parents’ Weekend) even if we don’t necessarily want you in our domain. We want you to buy apparel and bumper stickers from the bookstore even if it’s embarrassing when you flaunt it. We want you to send us baked goods every so often even though dining hall food is probably making us fat already. We want you to be proud of us because going to college means something.
This past year, my parents and I realized that altering the roles we were so used to wasn’t nearly as scary as we thought it might be. The smooth transition my family made to college life made coming back home for the summer easy and, to be honest, a lot of fun. I can’t imagine what it’s like to become the parent of a college student, but my parents got the hang of it pretty quickly. You’ll figure it out, too.
Lianna Bessette is a member of Bowdoin College’s class of 2013. She is an English major and teaching minor. Although Lianna does not have a public blog of her own, she writes in her journal obsessively.
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10 Life-changing benefits of the internet age.
Please check out my latest post on Work Awesome. It is the 10 Life-changing benefits of the internet age. The internet has led to many conveniences in our lives that I think some of us take for granted. For those of us who were around before the internet exploded onto the scene, I think we tend to appreciate the advances of the internet age. I would love to see in the comments some of the advances that you feel that the internet has given you. I hope you will enjoy this article and I welcome you to leave any comments on WorkAwesome or below.
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Any interest in a frozen margarita?
Please check out my latest post on Work Awesome. It is the world’s best frozen margarita recipe. 
I guarantee that if you follow this recipe you will enjoy a fabulous drink that will help you unwind either at the end of a tough work day or on the weekend. I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years and I believe that this is comparable to any you will find out there at any bar. I don’t use any margarita mix in this recipe. Everything is made from scratch which is the reason it is so fantabulous. Take my word for it. You will enjoy it. If you try it please let me know how you liked it.
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5 Hiking Safety Tips
Hiking is a tremendous activity to do either by yourself, or with your family. Day hikers head out into the wild for a trip up a local mountain or on a local trail but, oftentimes, forget to prepare for a potential mishap. 
Simple preparation and simply being safety-conscious, can make the difference between an enjoyable afternoon and an unfortunate experience. Taking the proper precautions is easy to do, but not everyone does it. Being an avid hiker, I make it a point to prepare for the worst, even though I am still looking forward to a fun day communing with nature.
1. Water, water, and more water.
The #1 safety tip is to ensure that you bring enough water with you. Obviously, the temperatures in which you will be hiking should dictate how much water you should bring. If you are not sure how much to carry with you, you can always ask the park ranger when you are parking at the bottom of the mountain or trail and then fill up your water bottle accordingly. If there is no place to refill your water at the summit, or along the way, my suggestion is to bring with you at least a quart of water per hour of hiking. I like to use the wide mouth hard plastic water bottles and fill them with plenty of ice and water before the hike. If you are going to pack more of anything on your hike, pack too much water. As an added precaution, pick up some iodine pills which can be used to treat water if you are forced to fill up your water bottle in a stream or other body of water. The water bottles will be heavy at the beginning of your hike, but once you drink a few of them, your pack will get lighter
2. Buy some decent hiking boots.
This may sound like a no-brainer but I’ve seen people hiking in sandals. Proper ankle support and traction underfoot are extremely important, especially on a slick trail. I discovered this the hard way by using an old pair of hiking boots, and slipped and fell on a wet rock as I was descending the mountain. I tried to brace my fall with my right arm and I ended up with a torn rotator cuff I had operated on a couple of years ago. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Invest in a pair of decent hiking boots.
3. Tell someone about your hike.
Leave all of the pertinent information with a loved one about when you left, where you went, and when you plan on returning. If possible, map out the trails that you plan on taking and leave a copy with that person. And, if at all possible, hike with someone else rather than taking on nature solo.
4. Bring a First Aid Kit.
A few weeks ago, I went hiking with my two daughters and my nephew. It took us about two hours to ascend the mountain and a little less to descend. On the descent, my eldest was holding onto a branch to support herself and her feet slipped out from under her on a pretty slick rock. As a result, she tumbled and got a bruise on her side and on her arm. Fortunately, we brought along a first aid kit and we were able to quickly treat the wound and, in short order, we were on our merry way. It cannot hurt to stop at the local pharmacy and pick up a small first aid kit just in case. You would rather not have to use it, but if you have to, you will be glad you brought it along.
5. Accessorize.
It would be wise to bring along the following accessories with you, even if you are only planning a day hike.
Cell Phone – You may not get any reception on your hike, but it cannot hurt to bring along a cell phone. You never know when it can come in handy.
Compass – It is always wise to bring along a compass should you happen to get off the trail and don’t know which direction in which you should walk. A compass could help and it won’t add any weight to your pack.
Flashlight – Even though you are planning a day hike, your route may be altered due to work on the trail or for some other unknown reason. Your schedule for when you were supposed to be back at the car may suffer as a result. If darkness sets in, a flashlight could be a lifesaver. Once again, it will be negligible as far as extra weight in your pack.
Bug Spray – Depending on the time of year and the amount of rain that has recently fallen, bugs could be a major factor. Bringing along a heavy duty bug spray could pay big dividends.
Snacks – Healthy snacks such as protein bars, trail mix, and fruit will continually give you the energy reserves that you need to get up and down the mountain.
A day hike can be a lot of fun for you and your family. But, it is important to proceed with caution as a fun day in the sun could turn tragic before you know it. Having thoroughly prepared yourself for your trip, in terms of safety, could be the best thing that you could do. Hopefully everything will go smoothly but, in case it doesn’t, you will be ready to safely deal with anything that could come up.
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Check out my interview.
I was recently interviewed by Paul Cunningham at BloggingTeacher. 
Paul is an experienced blogger who has been around the blogosphere for a while. Blogging Teacher provides articles, tips and tutorials to help bloggers overcome the many challenges they face building a successful blog. He occasionally requests interviews from fellow bloggers and I willingly obliged. I hope you enjoy reading the interview. Check it out here. If you are so inclined please leave a comment either here or on his blog. You also may want to subscribe to Paul’s blog as it is extremely educational and informative.
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You make your own fun.
I used to work with a guy years ago who oftentimes would use the expression:
“You make your own fun”.
And, at the time, I really didn’t think much about the expression. It was just something he would spout every now and again. But lately, that same expression has been coming back to me and it really hits home. 
If you don’t make your own fun then you certainly cannot count on others to entertain you. But how is it that I try to make my own fun in my life? With age, and maybe a little more wisdom, I’ve learned that if you don’t make your own fun, then your life can become monotonous and well, not fun…
Have something to look forward to…
College at Any Age: A Basic Guide to Going Back.
This is a guest post by Thomas Warren. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.
The idea that college is only for kids who are straight out of high school is completely unfounded. 
It’s never too late to continue your education. And there are plenty of reasons to do it, from reaching a personal goal, to improving your job prospects, to enriching your life. But if you’ve been out or school for a while, or you’ve never reached the level of secondary education, you may be in the dark when it comes to applying, scheduling, and attending college. Luckily, there is a lot of help available for those who wish to pursue a higher education.
Preparation
Grapevine landscaping will enhance your garden.
This is a guest post by Andy Finn. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.
Grapevine is a common term for a vast variety of the Vine Genus Vitis. 
This is the vine that is commonly grown for human consumption, either as a fruit bearing or a wine-producing plant. The grapevine origins are rooted in the Mediterranean region, possibly southern Turkey where they spread to Greece and Italy. Wild varieties are also present in Northern America and were eaten by the natives as berries, though they are unsuitable for wine production. Read more »
Who are the best people you know?
It sounds like a simple question, doesn’t it? 
Well, in my opinion, your answer to this question is a direct correlation to your degree of happiness. What do I mean by that? For me, the answer to the above question is simple. The people I spend my life with represent the best people I know. The older I get, the more I realize and appreciate this reality in my life.
Spouse
My wife is the person I am closest to in this world. Read more »
Actionable steps to avoid weak bones.
This is a guest post by Michelle Aultman. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.
An estimated 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million have low bone mass, a condition which is referred to as osteopenia. 
Osteoporosis, a disease without outward symptoms, affects about 20 percent of men and 80 percent of women. Because bones gradually become weaker, they may break in a minor fall or, if left untreated, even from simple things like a sneeze. The most common fracture sites include the hip, wrist and spine, although any bone in your body could be affected. Read more »
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