Bill Mercer | RealiTeen

Tia Bandavanis

My name is Tia and I'm very excited to join the Realteen team. I am a fun-loving, caring, and colorful person. I begin and end everyday with a smile. There is only one man in my life and that is my 15 yr. old son John. It's been my job to raise my son from a young age through his teen years. I am a single mom and I feel as though I have done my best to help my son become a responsible young man. I was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in the Maryland and D.C. area. I moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1992. I now consider myself to be a native. I miss family dearly but find ways to visit often. My home and heart is here in Onslow County. This is pretty much due to the fact that I have raised my son here and found it to be a great place to live. I currently teach preschool at a local preschool. I have been teaching for over 20 years. I love children of all ages and could not imagine myself doing any other profession. I enjoy outings with my son to the movies, watching football, visiting local spots such as the Lynwood Park Zoo, going to the beach, and canoeing along our local rivers. I look forward to writing and reading the blogs. I feel this is a great opportunity to explore my parenting role and others. Parenting my teen son has been very rewarding and challenging. However, I have learned that being an effective parent is about learning and growing along with my son!

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My name is Bill Mercer and I am the father of three children. Two sons, John and Drew, age 17, are my teens. My daughter Molly is a college student. They are great people and I am very proud of them. I am a widower for nearly 7 years. I am in a relationship with Betsy and Will Heath (her 12 year old son) and we are all family. I am an insurance representative with Mass Mutual Financial Group in the offices of Bartley Insurance Services here in Jacksonville, N.C. I have lived in Jacksonville since 1986. A native of Richlands, N.C. I graduated from Richlands High School and East Carolina University. I attend Trinity United Methodist church, along with a Mens Bible Study that I depend on. I am grateful for my family and friends and I'm ambitious about the future. Some very important people have played major roles in the lives of my children. I look forward to sharing this adventure with the readers of Realiteen. We are shaped by our experiences. Hope you enjoy. Talk with you soon.

Servant Leadership

December 11th, 2011 Bill Mercer

Richlands United Methodist Church

I was raised in the Richlands United Methodist Church. It is my understanding that a Mills (Mama’s family) has been a member of that church since its earliest beginnings, even donating land …
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Keep it Real

December 8th, 2011 Bill Mercer

stress or prayer or both?

I have written some blogs lately that pertained to issues that are somewhat “outside the box” of the precepts of Realiteen. My “loose” subject matter has been homelessness and poverty in our Country. In writing …
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Few More Dollars (cont)

December 7th, 2011 Bill Mercer

In my last post, I mentioned a great show recently on 60 Minutes that followed homeless families. If you want to catch up, click here.

Part of what struck me is that the panel van crew was “led” by the 15 year old daughter; her dad was “camera shy.” She …
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For a Few More ($500) Dollars

December 5th, 2011 Bill Mercer

Have you ever been given a statistic and gotten so hung up on its authenticity that its profound impact was lost? That is the case with the number in the title. I can’t remember what the exact number is and …
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Why you gotta be so mean?

December 4th, 2011 Bill Mercer

I have become somewhat of a “teenager aficionado” over the last six years. They are really easy to figure out if you do one thing: observe. That’s it, pay attention. There are so many “know it all” parents …
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