I’m Susan, the parent of a recent Dynamy grad.  Welcome to the parent blog!

By day, I’m a PR and digital marketing consultant, writer, and teacher.  I’m married to a funny, brainy software developer.  Between us, we’ve worked at a bunch of companies you’d definitely recognize: AT&T, Conde Nast, National Geographic, and Time Inc.

By night, I’m an active volunteer for a few cultural organizations in my community — and (always behind) book club member, family dinner chef, Netflix binge-watcher, afghan knitter, and completely smitten owner of a beagle terrier mutt.

And by day and night, I am, with my husband, the parent of Josh, a spirited, college-bound, nearly twenty-something who blossomed at Dynamy — after a number of stressful, draining, bewildering high school years when all three of us were thrown way too many curve balls.

For two high-achieving parents in a well-rated school district those years were challenging — and humbling.

I’m no Tiger Mom.  But despite reading every bit of literature on teen development I could get my hands on, I’ll also confess that I silently clung to some primitive belief that if our son could only find the inner strength to push himself to show up and do the work, then school, social life, and self-esteem would magically fall back into place.

After all, we were smart and sensible from day one.  We’d provided the right conditions: pretty town, safe street, good schools, engaged teachers, kind counselors.

So would life — Josh’s and ours — ever get back “on track”?

Stay tuned.  (Spoiler: it has.)